


The Degrees of Normal

by Rhiannon_A_Christy



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Baby Fluff, Bucky Barnes Has Issues, Darcy and Steve are both idiots, Darcy wants Steve to be her baby daddy, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Romance, Slow Burn, Steve Has Issues, Steve never had a chance, Tony annoys everyone, Tony is a very proud father to be, baby-shower, bit of angst, close friendships, friends having babies, pregnant Darcy, pregnant Pepper
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-30
Updated: 2015-12-16
Packaged: 2018-02-19 08:52:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 62,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2382362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhiannon_A_Christy/pseuds/Rhiannon_A_Christy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One thing Steve should have learned when it came to Darcy Lewis, never give her ideas because she won’t ever let them go. After Pepper’s baby-shower Darcy finds Steve in the kitchen trying to get drunk, who would have ever thought that the conversation that would come would lead to her pregnant with Captain America’s baby? Not Darcy, and certainly not Steve.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Degree 1: Late Night Cake and Scotch With Your Very Own Super Soldier

If there was one thing that Darcy loved more than life itself, it was party cake. It didn't matter what kind, birthday, wedding, graduation, anniversary; chocolate, white, yellow, lemon, or marble. All that mattered was the fact that it was party cake. There was something about celebratory cake that just made it taste better. This was why she was currently sneaking her way into the tower's communal kitchen at two in the morning, wearing nothing but her oversized Avengers PJs.

Slipping into the kitchen, Darcy went straight for the fridge where she knew a huge piece of baby-shower cake waited with her name on it. So technically Tony had claimed it for his breakfast, but the dude had enough money to buy a million such cakes and Darcy was simply surviving on an assistant's wages…alright, not exactly normal assistant's wages, she was being paid by Tony Stark after all…still it was the principle of the thing…sort of…

"You realize that Tony will probably go through with his threat to fill the sock drawer of whoever stole his cake with snakes?" Steve smirk as Darcy actually jumped as she leaned into the fridge. It didn't really surprise him to see her, she had stolen the last of Clint's last birthday cake…along with his and Bucky's, and basically everyone except Nat's. Darcy was daring, but not stupid.

"Shit! Steve, don't scare a girl like that! I almost dropped my cake, my precious cake." Mimicking every bad movie villain ever, Darcy pulled the platter of cake in her hand to her chest and pretended to stroke it. She lamented the fact that it was Steve in the kitchen; not that she didn't like him, he was one of her best friends after all, it was just the blank stare he gave her at her antics. Had it been Clint he would have laughed.

"Tony's cake." Steve rolled his eyes at the woman in front of him. He had long ago gotten used to her strange humor. Admittedly he found it funny, but he wasn't really in the mood for jokes at the moment.

"My cake now, plus he will never find out. You don't plan on ratting me out, do you?" She knew he would never nark on her, but she loved the little back and forth they had. She couldn't deny that she would deliberately provoke him just to see him riled up. There was something about seeing him free of constraints, able to actually be who he was. She sometimes wondered why he thought he had to play the Captain so much, if it was the collapse of SHIELD, finding Bucky, or just dealing with people like Tony. No matter what it was, Darcy loved to pull away those layers of red, white, and blue and simply reveal Steve Rogers underneath.

"No, I don't think I could deal with those big puppy-dog eyes of yours. I was thinking more JARVIS than anyone." Darcy had used her famous puppy-dog eyes on him before, it was an experience he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy. Ok, maybe he enjoyed watching Tony completely melt under those wet blues, but who didn't?

"Naw, JARV and I are bros, tight we are, like a pickle jar lid." Darcy flopped down into the chair beside Steve, digging her fork straight into the top of the cake and shoving a good sized hunk in her mouth. She wasn't the most lady-like woman out there as it was, but she never felt the need to put on airs around the Avengers. Maybe Pepper, but after seeing the rest of them eating left over pizza and watching tv in their underwear…yeah Darcy couldn't care less about crossing her legs or eating daintily.

"Sometimes I think you spend half your time just coming up with those sayings." Darcy was as outspoken and quick-witted as they came. He was pretty sure that was what had attracted him to her in the first place. Their friendship had been a quick one, the two of them growing close in a matter of weeks. Maybe it was her personality, maybe it was how she had accepted Bucky with no question and made him her friend just as she had done to him. Whatever it was, Steve couldn't imagine his life now without the quirky young woman.

"Genius takes time, Steve." Darcy twirled her cake filled fork at Steve, smirking at him before shoving the whole thing in her mouth.

"Well, Genius, how are you going to explain the huge frosting stain on your top at breakfast?" Reaching out, Steve flicked one finger against the large red spot on the front of her chest, coming away with a large hunk of overly sweet frosting. Not thinking about it, he stuck his finger in his mouth to clean it off. It was a testament to just how close they were that neither of them seemed phased by the action.

"Oh damn! Of course Tony would have to get a life-size Iron Man cake, I swear this thing used up all the red food coloring in New York." Taking a cue from Steve, Darcy started gathering up the frosting with her finger and shoving it in her mouth. Not that it actually helped, there was a huge red blotch between her breasts that she was pretty sure would never wash out. Damn, and those had been one of her favorite pajama sets.

"Did you expect anything different from him?" Never in his life had he seen someone with an ego as big as Tony. Oh, Howard came close and he was sure had his old friend had the ability to create the kind of tech his son did, he would have been just as arrogant as Tony. To be fair though, Tony's arrogance had calmed down quite a bit since he first met him. Though not enough to keep him from pulling stunts such as the cake.

"Yeah, but then again I figure Pepper probably stopped him from ordering a more vulgar cake." Ignoring the look of horror that crossed Steve's face at her statement, Darcy made a rather crude gesture with her hands before resuming her attack on the cake.

"I really didn't need to be thinking about that." Steve fought the blush he felt rising up his cheeks. He was by no means a prude, or all that shy, but Darcy had a way of making him blush without really trying.

"I can just see it, he would have had moving parts and all." She waggled her eyebrows as she made an even more vulgar gesture, this time utilizing the cake and her tongue.

"Darcy stop, just stop please." Steve took a long pull from the glass he had in his hand, his eyes on anything else in the room besides the smear of red across Darcy's lips.

"You're no fun anymore." Darcy pouted and just stuck the bite of molested cake into her mouth. She loved being the only one in the tower able to make Steve Rogers blush. She considered it to be one of her superpowers, along with getting scientists to eat and ex brainwashed assassins to laugh.

"No, I just don't want to think about pornographic cakes this early in the morning." Or the way that her tongue moved along the piece of cake. Darcy might have been his best friend next to Bucky, but he wasn't blind or dead.

"When else would you? Any other time of day would just be disturbing." Darcy waved her hand at Steve as though what she said explained everything perfectly.

"Speaking of, do you realize how disturbing it is to watch you eat Iron Man's head?" He had thought the cake was unnerving as it was, but watching the way Darcy devoured the thing that made it horrifying.

"Why does everyone keep freaking out about the way I eat cake? I thought Jane was going to have me locked up earlier." Not even caring about her top anymore, the thing was ruined beyond repair, Darcy carelessly dug into the cake. Stopping only to reach over to take a large gulp from Steve's glass, which caused her to promptly cough.

"That is because you cut out the ARC Reactor and ate it while cackling on about eating Tony's heart. You scared the shit out of Bucky, do you know how hard that is to do?" Bucky's eyes had gone huge, and Steve was pretty sure he had seen him take a step backwards. Of course he had also seen the admiration in his eyes as well, Bucky always liked people that were just a little bit out there. That was how the two of them had become friends after all.

"I was just playing. Anyway, we've established why I'm up at this ungodly hour, why are you?" Of course Darcy had a pretty good idea, mostly after taking a drink from his glass. Still, she didn't want to jump to conclusions. Doing that had gotten her into trouble too many times in her life.

Steve lifted up the almost empty glass in his hand, motioning towards the counter where four empty bottles of scotch sat. He grabbed the one on the table beside him and poured the last bit of it into his glass.

"Trying to get drunk." The statement was pretty much deadpanned. It was a sort of joke, he figured. Steve Rogers trying to get drunk? Hilarious. At least that was how he felt before he finished the fourth bottle and still could see straight.

"Oh, yes because that is much better than stealing cake from the world's most egotistical man." Darcy rolled her eyes and pushed herself back from the table. After so much cake and frosting she needed something to drink and she would be damned if she had a sip from that scotch again. On its own it is all well and fine, but with white cake…vomit inducing.

"At least it won't lead to snakes in my drawers." Steve saluted her with a raise of his glass then downed the last bit in one go. He had long ago stopped feeling the burn of the stuff, now it just slid down his throat like warm melted butter.

"Really, Tony is just going to smile and laugh when he sees that you've plowed through several bottles of his best scotch? Somehow, I think, he's not going to care about my cake-theft." Darcy knew Tony kept a large stash of the most ridiculously expensive alcohol in the tower, sadly she had yet to find it. She wondered if she could convince Steve to pinch her a bottle of that port that she kept hearing about.

"The scotch is mine, Tony gave me an entire flat of the stuff for my last birthday." Steve didn't even want to think about how much that must have cost. Though he was sure it was mere pennies to the man. Still, Steve felt a bit strange knowing that someone spent thousands on just one present for him.

"Lucky bastard, all I ever got from him was a new taser." Darcy pretended to stab her fork into the top of the cake. She was contemplating making "Ee, Ee, Ee" noises when Steve reached over and grabbed her hand. She stuck her tongue out and had to hold back her giggle when he rolled his eyes.

"Don't whine, it was a SI prototype taser that is about as close as anyone on Earth will ever get to Thor's hammer." Just about everyone had groaned in horror when Tony had presented the new taser to Darcy. Everyone but Thor who couldn't wait to test out the new lighting weapon with his Shield-Sister. That had been an interesting training session.

"It is a beauty, isn't it? Anyway, we've gone way off subject. Steve, why are you trying to get drunk?" Darcy eyed the several other bottles lined up on one of the counters. She knew Steve still had bad days, but since Bucky had returned; both physically and mentally; he had been doing pretty well. It bothered her that something could have thrown him off so much that he would actually attempt to get drunk.

"Felt like it." He shrugged his shoulders. Though he adored Darcy and was enjoying her company, he was beginning to wish she hadn't shown up. He had talked to her about many things he had never talked about with anyone else, but this was something he wasn't really all that ready to discuss. Mostly as he was a bit confused by it himself.

"No, you never just feel like getting drunk, you are not Tony. You have to have a reason, so what is it?" Darcy set her fork down and clasped one of Steve's hands in hers. She might not have been a vintage super-soldier, but she was a good listener and always had time for him.

"It's nothing, Darcy." He turned his hand in hers around and gave a quick squeeze before extracting his hand. He should probably just get up and leave, but he knew Darcy better than anyone and he knew she would either just follow him to his room or just pick up the conversation later.

"Obviously it isn't, or you would be in bed right now, or at the very least, down in the gym." She couldn't count how many times JARVIS had woken her up to inform her that Steve was down in the gym again and beating the crap out of the punching bags. Normally those instances involved nightmares or flashbacks of the war of the life he had lost, but not one of them sent him to the liquor cabinet.

"Let it go, Darce." Steve pushed his chair back to stand, only to have Darcy throw her leg out underneath the table and catch the back of the chair leg with her foot. He sighed and scooted the chair forward.

"No. Look, when Ian and I ended things and I tried to drown my sorrows in alcoholic ice-cream floats, you made me talk it out. I'm just returning the favor. Now, once again, why are you trying to get drunk?" Darcy gave him _The Look._ It was the look that said he better answer or she would bring out the big guns. The big guns being both Sam and Nat. If one couldn't talk it out of him, the other could beat it out. Thankfully she never had to use Nat, but Sam had come in handy on several occasions.

"It is just today, or yesterday rather." Steve refused to meet Darcy's eyes, his focus remaining solely on his glass. He ran one finger along the rim, circling around and around until he felt a slight heat from the friction warm the tip.

"I know that Tony was a bit annoying, but really that is no reason to get drunk. Well, not that drunk at least, I find it easier to work with him when buzzed." She really wished she was kidding, but sadly she was not. Tony was a handful on the best of days, but he could become downright unbearable sometimes. She had learned early on that it was better to down a shot or two before dealing with him on his bad days. It wasn't the best idea she had ever had, but it was better than her killing Tony.

"It wasn't Tony, it was…Darce, have you ever thought about kids, you know, having them?" The fact that those words came out of his mouth shocked him, and by the look he could see Darcy giving him out of the corner of his eye, so was she.

"Oh, you're broody? Huh." Well, who would have thought it? It probably shouldn't have shocked her, Steve was human after all. Maybe she wouldn't have been so surprised had he ever talked about kids before. The most she had ever heard from him was about his young fans that sent him art and letters; all of which he framed and used to cover one entire wall in his rooms. Alright, so that should have been a huge clue right there.

"Darce?" Finally getting up the courage, Steve turned to the woman next to him. They were friends, very good friends, and he knew she would never actually make fun of him, but it didn't make it easier to talk about this with her.

"Oh, sorry. Well, I mean, not really. Before, the idea of kids was just something I could leave or take, but now…I see what you mean. Everything with Pepper lately, her growing belly, the glow about her, and the way that her and Tony just light up when they talk about their child.

"Now, yeah I think I might want them now." It wasn't something she had given real serious thought about. She had figured she would have them one day, but the idea had never taken full root in her mind. She hadn't sat down and thought about what her children would look like, what names she might want to give them, or how many she would one day want. It hadn't dawned on her until Steve brought it up just how much that had changed since Pepper had announced her pregnancy. It was a little shocking.

"I had thought about becoming a father before, but it always seemed like a pipe-dream. It's looking more and more that I was right." He knew he sounded bitter, but he had already lost so much when he had downed that plane. Maybe he should be grateful, he had survived after all. He was alive and well, part of a team, saving the world and all of that. He should be happy, instead he found himself several times dwelling on what he had sacrificed to get where he was.

"What are you talking about? Girls are practically lining up outside the tower to date you." And she really wasn't exaggerating. Steve didn't just have fans under the age of ten vying for his attention, he had a whole slew of women from eighteen to sixty hoping to catch his eye. Wherever he went he had to deal with packs of them flaunting and flirting. It would've been funny, but for some reason it annoyed her more often than not.

"To date Captain America, not me. The thing is, they have this idea in their heads about being Cap's girlfriend, but not one of them really understands what that means." He hadn't minded it at first, mostly when he hadn't been looking for anything more than a night or two. On those occasions he hadn't been bothered when the woman yelled out Captain instead of Steve. That had changed though after the first time one of his one-nighters had turned into something more.

"You mean the danger?" It seemed silly to her that anyone would not count that in when dating a superhero, but then again she knew that some people could be far beyond stupid.

"That, and the fact that sometimes I have to cancel on them. They don't care that it is my job. The first time it happens they smile and give me a kiss on the cheek and tell me that it is alright and they are proud of me. The second time they just grin and tell me they understand, by the third they become annoyed, and the forth they are angry. I've never gotten to a fifth.

"It isn't even like it is my choice, I'm Captain America, I can't just ignore a crisis to go on a date." It wasn't even like he enjoyed canceling. He would've much rather spent his time with a pretty girl instead of fighting crazed robots or murderous aliens.

"Well, I can understand being upset, but they should've known from the beginning something like that could, and would, happen." She had been right, people were far beyond stupid.

"What about you, now that you know you want children, do you think it will happen?" Steve really didn't have any doubt that she would become a mother one day. Darcy was beautiful, sweet, witty, and intelligent. He knew one day some guy would realize just how wonderful she was, marry and give her children. Of course, Steve never liked to think about that.

"You've seen my last few attempts at dating, what do you think? Ian was probably the most stable relationship I've ever had, and that I went and screwed up." She had never had the best track record when it came to relationships. It wasn't so much that she picked the duds, or bad boys, though she had her fair share of those lately. It was just that she always seemed to pick men that she didn't spark with. Sure, the sex had always been great, but outside of the bedroom there was not enough there.

"You didn't screw anything up." He always hated when she put herself down, or blamed everything that went wrong in her life on herself. He was used to playing the hero, but how could he defend her from herself?

"Yeah, that is not what Ian said." Ian had been…well he had been a mistake. She had mistaken gratefulness for attraction after he had saved her and had jumped right into a relationship with him. It hadn't been all bad, generally he had been the type to follow her around and she enjoyed being the one in control. The problem came when things started becoming serious and her personal and work life crashed head long into each other.

"That was only because he was upset. Darcy, he had asked you quit your job and to move back to London permanently and then refused to continue the relationship after you said no. The breakup was a lot more his fault than yours." Steve had never really liked Ian. He hadn't been a bad guy, and Steve knew he had genuinely adored her. He had followed her to New York, though he had a pretty good guess that the move had a lot more to do with continuing to work with Jane than anything else.

Ian had lived in the tower with Darcy, made friends with the team, but in the end decided he couldn't handle it. His leaving and the ultimatum he had given her had been the catalyst to Steve and Darcy's friendship. So in a way, he guessed he should be grateful for him.

"Yeah, but if I had just…" No, she hadn't loved Ian, she had liked him at best. The thing was she had wanted to prove to herself that she could have a stable and adult relationship. It hadn't mattered that they had lasted almost two years, in her eyes the end of their relationship meant she had been a failure.

"No, Darce, just no. He was asking you to give up everything so he wouldn't have to, then he ended the relationship instead of making a compromise.

"Say you had moved there and the relationship still crashed? Where would that leave you?" It had rubbed him the wrong way when he had heard what Ian had told her. He knew that there had to be compromise in a relationship, but he didn't think asking someone to give up everything for you could really be considered one.

"You truly are a sweetheart. Still, my fault or not, I doubt I'll find anyone soon. Anymore I seem to attract mostly douches, or weaklings that piss their pants at the sight of you guys." Darcy picked at the cake in front of her again, trying not to laugh at the memory of poor Harry literally shaking in his boots at the sight of the Avengers. It hadn't even been like they had been looming over him, they had been lounging around the common room having an Austen Powers marathon.

"Yeah, that guy was a little…um…" Steve tried to think of a word that was polite, but all he could do was give a low laugh.

"Pathetic? Yeah, I won't be allowing any of the office girls to set me up again." She had known it was a bad idea when Jennie had approached her with the offer, but Darcy had been going through a dry spell and had hoped that even if the date didn't turn into something more she could at least get some relief for the night. Obviously things hadn't gone anywhere near well, and she had had to rely on Old Reliable for relief.

Steve shook his head at the memory of that night. The poor kid had hightailed it out of the tower like the hounds of hell were on his tail while everyone just stood there blinking. He sighed after a moment, pushing his glass away as he looked over at a smiling Darcy.

She really was beautiful. He had thought that since the first moment he had seen her across the common room. She had been bundled up in several sweaters with her head almost completely hidden behind one of her knitted monstrosities. He had known that Thor's girl had moved in that morning and that she was coming with an assistant, but he hadn't expected anything like Darcy. She had been a mix of cute and sexy, sweet and sassy, and mouthy. He would admit that he had been a little disappointed when Ian had saddled up beside her and took her hand. Since that moment he had accepted that it would be friendship only.

He laughed again, softly this time and maybe a little bit miserably. He had often wondered what would have happened if Ian had not been in the picture. Darcy had become his best friend beside Bucky. There was an easiness between the two of them, it was comfortable and uncomplicated, and because of that he came to a realization that caused him to open his mouth before really thinking about it.

"You know, it's too bad that we couldn't just have a kid together." Steve blinked a few times at just what had come out of his mouth. What was it about Darcy that caused him to lose all sense of himself? He was always blurting things out around her.

"Okay." That had been unexpected, but more so was how quickly she responded. Had she been told yesterday that she would agree to having Steve's kid…ok, well maybe the answer would have been the same. It was strange how right it had sounded when Steve had said that.

"Excuse me, what?!" He was glad that he hadn't been even holding onto his glass, he was sure he would have shattered it completely. He might not have meant to say what he had, but he really hadn't counted on Darcy's reaction. He had hoped to play it off as a joke, to have Darcy laugh at him and then go back to her cake. This was probably the most unexpected thing that had happened all night.

"I said ok. Why not? We are friends, good friends actually. We care about and adore each other, and you have to admit we would make beautiful babies." Images of little blond-haired, blue-eyed babies rushed through her head and Darcy knew she was done for. Suddenly she understood all those women who daydreamed about their future families and collected baby names.

"I was just kidding." If his voice came out a bit squeaky no one would blame him. He should really start learning to watch what he said around Darcy, he really should. Darcy was one of those people that once they got ahold of an idea they held onto it like a dog with a bone. Normally though her ideas dealt with some prank or Avengers bonding activity, not him getting her pregnant.

"I know, but I'm not. Just think about it, we would make pretty bitchin' parents." She would be one of those cool moms, the ones that all the kids wanted for their own. And she knew that Steve would be one of the world's best dads. He would be protective, but he would also be very attentive, the kind of father that made sure he went to all his kid's games. She could just see it, Steve rushing to catch their child's game after saving the world once again, saddling up next to her on the benches all scuffed up in his uniform. It was an image that made her ovaries explode just a little bit.

"What I think is that you've had way too much sugar and it has gone straight to your head." He wondered if maybe Tony had tampered with his scotch just a little bit and that Darcy was actually a bit drunk. Surely she wouldn't agree to something like that sober?

"Steve…" Darcy sighed. Of course Steve would be difficult, even if he was the one to originally bring the topic up. Alright, alright, so he hadn't actually meant for her to take it seriously, she couldn't help it that idea appealed to her.

"No Darcy, I was just kidding, nothing more. Now, you should go to bed, you will realize how ridiculous this all is in the morning." And maybe he would be able to forget about it himself. He really didn't need thoughts of her pregnant with his child to complicate things between them.

"It's already morning." A smirk spread across Darcy's face as a frown pulled down Steve's.

"Darcy." Surprisingly, he never really had to use his Captain voice on her, but he figured the current situation called for it. Even if he did hate using it for the simple fact of the dejected look Darcy gave him every time he used it.

"Damn, fine, fine, I'm going, but I promise you I'll still think this is a good idea when I wake up." Darcy stuck her tongue out at Steve as she stood and placed the cake back inside the fridge. She gave the cake one last longing look before shutting the door.

"Just go to bed, doll." His voice sounded tired even to him. He figured it was a mix of the party the day before and the disaster of a conversation he had just had with Darcy.

"Night, Steve." Leaning down over Steve, Darcy placed a soft kiss against his cheek. She laughed quietly as he wrapped an arm around her waist to give a gentle squeeze and ended up coming face to face with her chest. His eyes about bugged out of his head before he shook his head and leaned up to plant a kiss on her own cheek.

"Night." Steve watched as Darcy sauntered out of the room, and there really was no other word for the slow, swaying little bounce she had. He picked up his glass and placed it to his lips before he realized that he had already finished off his fifth bottle.

He sighed and looked over where he had a few more lined up and ready. He doubted even drinking those would work, even if he really needed them too. Sometimes he really cursed that serum.

* * *

When the others started to trickle into the kitchen around nine, they were greeted by a scruffy Steve Rogers bent over a cup of cold coffee. After Darcy left for bed, Steve had all intentions of returning to his own room to try and sleep himself. Though he never made it, instead switching out his scotch for coffee and remaining at the kitchen table. He might have been tired, but he knew he would never be able to sleep.

"You're up God-awful early, Cap. Or is it late?" Tony patted Steve's shoulder as he passed him on his way to the counter. This wasn't really the first time that the Cap had stayed up all night. After he had moved into the tower it had been a regular thing, though after Bucky's return and the arrival of Darcy the only time Tony saw him up late was after a mission.

"Couldn't sleep." Steve shrugged his shoulders before taking a rather large drink of his coffee. He grimaced as he tried to force the cold sludge down his throat. He hadn't realized how long he had been sitting there just staring at his cup, but apparently it had been long enough to make his coffee unpalatable.

"Yeah, because coffee helps with that." Tony rolled his eyes as he set to work on brewing a pot of real coffee. He never could understand how everyone else in the tower could drink the Cowboy Special that always ended up in his expensive machines. That stuff was more like drinking gritty tar than anything resembling coffee.

"Doesn't really matter what I drink, remember?" Steve was still as sore as he had been earlier about that. With the way his mind was churning over his conversation with Darcy he could really use something, be it alcohol or a caffeine buzz.

"Yeah, that sucks. So, I'm guessing the scotch didn't work?" He had made it his mission to find something to either get Steve drunk or high, he wasn't really that picky. Steve had been on board with the alcohol, but Tony had to be a little sneakier when it came the other. Of course, not that anything seemed to work. It was really annoying actually.

"No different than water." Steve absently waved his hand at the line of empty bottles on the counter and went back to trying to down his cold coffee.

"Damn." He would have to see about enlisting Bruce to help him come up with something able to overcome Cap's metabolism. He would be damned if he would just give up, there was something out there capable of getting Steve drunk and by God he was going to be the one to find it.

"You realize that not everyone wants to be drunk all the time?" Jane shook her head as she entered the kitchen. She ran her hand through her hair only to get caught half way down. After the party the day before she had gone straight back to her lab, and since Darcy hadn't been around to put her to bed, she had remained there until two hours ago when she stumbled back to her room and into bed. She had almost tossed her alarm clock across the room when it had gone off and gone back to bed, but sadly Thor was an early riser and had practically pulled her off the mattress and out of their room.

"Keep telling yourself that Janey-girl." Tony pointed his empty coffee cup at the small woman, a wide smirk on his face. The woman looked like shit, her hair a giant knot and her clothes rumpled. And if the large purple bruises under her eyes were anything to go by, Science had been her mistress last night.

"Shut up, Stark." Jane wasn't anywhere near in the mood to deal with a cheery Tony Stark. Unfortunately, since Pepper had announced her pregnancy he had been nothing but cheery. It made her want to stick a long hot poker in his eye most days.

"Make me." Tony stuck his tongue out before pouring a cup of coffee and taking a large burning drink of it. Bliss.

"My God! You two are like children!" Bucky rounded the corner into the kitchen, his eyes immediately scanning the room. He might have been better…or at least not trying to kill everyone that made a wrong or unexpected move…but he was still a soldier. He had spent most of his life having to look over his shoulder, and now was no different.

Taking in the room he just shook his head. Darcy would have Jane's head when she realized that the scientist had been working late again, Tony was as irritating as ever, and Steve…Steve he would have to talk to later. Even back in the day before the train and the ice, Steve hardly ever tried to drown himself in alcohol.

"You think this is bad you should see them when they are in the lab. Darcy has threatened to put them in diapers on several occasions. She's even bought them personalized binkies." Bruce carefully pushed past Bucky, being mindful not to touch him. Though they all were volatile, the Soldier and the Hulk were the worst and the easiest to trigger. On more than one occasion they each had set the other off, and caused Tony a lot of money in repairs.

"Speaking of our little Avenger Mommy, where is she?" Tony had expected to see her bright and early that morning. The woman had a bad habit of stealing his cake, and as of yet he had been unable to catch her.

"Still in bed. I knocked on her door on the way down, so as long as she heard me she should be up soon." It was a bit odd, Jane knew what most people thought about Darcy. They figured she was lazy and didn't give a damn about rules, but in fact she was probably the most rule abiding and hardworking one in the tower. Darcy liked to sleep in, and play around in the labs, but she always got things done. That was why even though the younger woman's major was wrong for the internship, she had kept her on all these years.

"Good, should give me enough time to….damnit!" Tony pouted as he pulled out the head of the Iron Man cake, the whole top half eaten away. He set the plate on the counter and crossed his arms, making him look even more like a child.

Darcy rounded the corner, rubbing her eyes as she tramped into the kitchen in the oversized Iron Man PJs she had changed into before bed. All of it made her look like a five year old just waking up. Even more so with the look that crossed her face as Tony pointed a finger at her, causing her to stop in her tracks.

"You!" He had known it! That little sneak. He glared over towards Cap, his eyes narrowing. He had been there all night, which meant he had allowed the girl to eat his cake. He would pay for that betrayal, he didn't care how hot Darcy was or how big her breasts.

"Me!" The childlike expression slid from her face as she flung her eyes open wide and she pointed towards herself. She needed caffeine, but damn, if messing with Tony in the morning didn't give her just a little buzz.

"No, you ate my cake, I told you not to eat my cake." Tony crossed his arms over his chest and tried to effect a look of authority. Apparently it wasn't working and Tony deflated just a little. If he couldn't intimidate a lab assistant how was he suppose to a child? Suddenly he was having horrible visions of his kid laughing at him alongside Darcy.

"What makes you think it was me?" Darcy pressed her hand to her chest, a small smile trying its hardest to turn up the corner of her mouth.

"You only wear Iron Man merch when you are trying to get something from me." This was something he had realized on early on. First it had been to get her mitts on his coffee, and then the use of a SI car, and all the way up to getting her own set of rooms. Pepper said he gave in because he was a huge softy who adored Darcy, but Tony thought it was just because the woman was evil and he really didn't feel like having his heart eaten and his soul sucked out if he refused.

Darcy shrugged her shoulders, not even denying it, since, well, it was true. She ignored everyone else in the room, mostly Steve as she knew if she looked at him she would want to bring up their last conversation, and that was something best left for later. Keeping her eyes on the coffee machine, Darcy saddled up beside Tony and poured herself a cup despite the man's strangled garbles and groans about his cake.

After a few moments and a few sips, Darcy set down her cup, reached her arms out to Tony and growled, "Brains, bbbrrraaaiiinnnsss!" causing the older man to take a couple of steps back from her.

Bucky spit out his coffee; practically choking as he stared wide-eyed at Darcy. Even though they had become friends, meaning he had spent a great deal of time with her, she still had the habit of surprising him.

"Shit Doll, you are one scary bitch, do you realize that?" Bucky wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, a deep rumble of a laugh making its way up his chest.

"That has been my whole life's mission; to be the scariest damn bitch to ever bitch." Darcy struck a pose, the classic Bitch Pose that all teenage girls learn in high-school. She had always had strong pose game, what with her hips and chest, they gave just that little bit extra _oomph_ that made the pose.

"Sorry to break it to you Babe, but I think that award goes to Nat." Tony had inched back forward, his hand sliding over the counter to grab the plate with his cake.

"Scared, Tony?" Bitch Pose still in place, Darcy turned her attention back towards Tony, her eyebrow raising as she noticed his fingers curling around the plate.

"You damn well better believe it." Taking his chance, Tony slipped the plate closer to him. Though as he was standing only three feet from Darcy, it was sadly still in her reach.

Darcy laughed along with everyone else and reached over to pick at the cake, only to have Tony slap her hand. She pouted at him and curled her cup of coffee to her chest. When she saw Steve move out of the corner of her eye she knew she could no longer ignore his presence. The two of them had become such good friends that eventually someone would pick up on the unusual tension between them.

Taking a large sip of her coffee she turned to look at him, and blinked as she noticed the pink color creeping up his cheeks. It was funny, this was one of the few times she hadn't been trying to cause his cheeks to color. She gave him a smile behind her cup, and sure enough that pink grew darker. It didn't take a genius to figure out just what he was thinking.

"Anyway, I've actually got running to do today, so I'll see ya creeps later." She didn't, well not work important running to do at least. It had more to do with the conversation she had with Steve…alright it had everything to do with their conversation, but she wasn't about to tell any of them that.

"You didn't say anything yesterday, I needed your help…" Jane pouted, hoping that the puppy-dog eyes would work on her assistant. She really should have known better.

"Nope, Boss Lady, not happening. It's Sunday, that means it's Darcyday and this girl is going shopping. Remember the rule?" Pointing her finger at Jane, Darcy gave the woman a scolding look. She couldn't count the amount of times she had to remind Jane that she was actually a human being and not a robot, and therefore she was entitled to days off.

"No Science on Sunday." If it was possible, Jane's pout grew. She really hated it when Darcy didn't work in the lab, her lab. She had another assistant, Jake, but the kid was utterly useless. He couldn't even figure out Darcy's filing system!

"No Science on Sundays, very good. Now, I'm headed out I've got places to see and people to do." Darcy placed her cup in the sink, sending a wink towards Tony as she reached over and actually plucked a huge bit of the cake in her hands before stuffing it in her mouth. Tony glowered at her, but she knew he was more amused than anything.

As she left the kitchen she couldn't help but run her fingers along Steve's back, her hand out of sight, though from the raised brow that Bucky sent her, not from everyone.

She had thought long and hard after returning to her room and she had made a decision, the only problem was Steve. She knew he would never agree, not right away at least, but she had a plan. Before long Steve would be her baby daddy, she was sure of it.


	2. Degree Two: Operation Baby-Daddy A Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy decides to set her plan into motion, dinner in the tower, and Darcy and Bucky talk.

Darcy lifted the bags in her hands until she could easily toss the heavy things onto her unmade bed. She ignored it when one particularly heavy bag toppled over, bits of clothing spilling to the floor in a cascade of red, white, and blue.

When she had returned to her room the night before she had had no intention of going to sleep like Steve had suggested, her mind had been too preoccupied with their conversation. Though Steve had become a good friend, a friendship she thought could possibly rival the one she had with Jane, he still hadn't learned one very important thing about her. The fact was when Darcy got an idea into her head she refused to let it go…like ever. She was notorious back home for her stubbornness. She figured it was what kept her at Jane's side all those years when any sane person would have left long ago.

When Steve had made that comment about having a kid together something had just clicked within her. She had spent all night thinking over what it would be like to be a mother; to carry a child inside her and to raise it. But even more, what it would be like to have Steve's child. She knew he would be a wonderful father, their kid would never lack for affection. The more and more she thought on a little blonde-curly-haired, blue-eyed baby, the more she wanted it.

She knew getting it wouldn't be easy, the biggest obstacle in obtaining what she wanted would be Steve. The man had more problems than her college algebra book, and just as hard to comprehend at times. Still, she had seen something in his eyes when he had made that comment. She couldn't blame it on the alcohol, so that left only one thing: Steve Rogers had at least been thinking of having a baby. Or at least that was what she was currently telling herself, better to justify what she was doing.

Maybe it was crazy, and ok, probably not really a good idea, but Darcy was the kind of girl that reached out and took what she wanted. This was why she had come up with a plan, one that would expose his desire for a child and show her own to him. Her little shopping trip that morning had all been in preparation for phase one of Project Baby-Daddy.

Darcy smiled as she gathered the fallen clothing, her fingers lingering on one particular blue garment. After carefully folding the onesie and placing it in her drawer, she reached to gather the rest so she could have everything ready come dinnertime.

* * *

Dinner in Avengers Tower was probably the most formal meal of the day, but it also could be called the most chaotic. Tony had specially designed a table large and strong enough to hold all the Avengers and their significant others. There had been many failed attempts before the ten-foot long monstrosity had been built. Either the table couldn't hold up to the amount of food needed to feed a gaggle of superheroes, or it cracked under pressure from one too many food fights, or Thor simply forgot how strong he was and emphasized a point just a little too strongly. Darcy had even been witness to the Great Hulk-Out of the twenty-first century, otherwise known as Tony once again not knowing when to keep his mouth shut, that had leveled the entire table filled with food.

Darcy was curled up in her normal seat, an overly large plush chair located just right of the head of the table; Steve's seat. They had all joked about Steve and Tony's placements, the parents of their little rag-tag group, but Darcy was observant enough to understand just how correct they all were. Without either of them she doubted the Avengers would have survived. Not that she would ever call Tony Mommy or Daddy…Steve on the other hand.

Laughter rose up around the table, everyone enjoying a care and worry free moment; something that was rather rare among the residents of the tower. Every week it seemed as though there was a new supervillain just waiting to get their ass kicked. It would have been funny had it not caused an almost constant haze of stress over everyone.

Darcy toed the bag she had set at her feet earlier, her sock covered foot running carefully along the bright red tissue paper sticking out of the top. She doubted it would be long before someone brought up her morning, allowing her to casually pull out the bag without raising suspicion. Well, too much suspicion, Steve was far from an idiot.

"You know, I still haven't forgiven you for eating my cake." Tony pouted into his forkful of green-rice pilaf. He gave the light green substance a moment's thought before stuffing the bite into his mouth. It might not look pretty, but it damn well tasted divine. It was annoying actually, as Darcy had been the one to introduce him to that particular version of the dish.

"Stop whining, you sound like a baby." Darcy rolled her eyes, it figured that it would be Tony that brought everything up.

"But it was my cake, you all heard me last night say that it was mine!" Tony pointed his now empty fork at each and every one at the table. He distinctly remembered telling everyone at least five times the night before that the last piece was his.

"If you let it drop I will order five life-sized Iron Man cakes with light up ARC reactors for your birthday." Pepper reached next to her and placed her hand on Tony's. When she had been younger her mother used to tell her how it didn't matter if she ever had kids or not, because men were nothing more than big babies and you automatically became a mother when you started dating one. Thinking back on that she wished she would have listened more.

"Fine, but Darcy isn't allowed to have any." Tony stuck a mouthful of rice in his mouth as though that finalized his answer.

Darcy placed her arms around her middle and pouted all the while fluttering her eyes. It was a tactic she had used with great success on not just Tony, but Steve, Bucky, and even Jane. Alright, so it worked on pretty much everyone but Nat and Pepper, which was why it was her go-to when things weren't going her way. She ignored the mix of groaning and snorting that rose from around the table, focusing all her energy instead on a quickly wavering Tony.

"Goddamnit! Fine, but the last piece is mine. I mean it!" The fork in Tony's hand fell onto his plate with a loud clang as he crossed his arms over his chest. Darcy was evil, pure evil, and it annoyed him that he could never resist her.

"Thankies!" A bright, smug smile spread across her face. She still would eat the last piece, and she knew that somewhere deep down Tony knew it too. Still, she would allow him to have his delusions if they made him feel better.

"It is unfair that you can pout your way into or out of anything. One day you are going to find yourself in a situation where pouting and tears won't work." Everyone around the tower may give into the girl, but Tony knew that the type of creeps they normally dealt with would never be swayed by her little girl act. They fed off those sort of reactions, and it scared Tony to think of them getting their hands on not just Darcy, but any of his friends.

"And that would be the day the world ends." Pouting had been one of the first things Darcy had learned when she had been a child. Well, pouting and crying on cue. She had learned early on that such things made guys uncomfortable. Men could deal with war and death, but put a crying girl or woman in front of them and suddenly they became nervous little boys.

Darcy went back to her dinner, not caring how she looked as she shoveled the green rice into her mouth. The conversation with Tony had not been the opening she had needed, which was a little annoying, but at least she had gotten back into his good graces. Somewhat at least.

"So, Darcy, you left pretty quickly this morning, what did you end up doing?" Bucky side-eyed the woman next to him, the fingers of his metal arm tapping out a jerky rhythm. He had watched her that morning with a little more care than he normally did. Maybe it had been the obvious effort to keep her errands a secret, or maybe the way Steve had acted the moment Darcy had entered the room. Whatever it had been, Bucky had been on alert all day, carefully watching his two best friends move around each other in an awkward dance.

"Just some shopping. Oh, that reminds me, when I was out I found a couple of things for you, Pepper. Or, well, for the baby." Darcy ignored the suspicious way Bucky spoke and was looking at her, simply grateful that he had created an opening for her.

Reaching down under the table she grabbed the thin, paper-rope handle of the bag. She probably should have taken a bit more care and actually wrapped the items in a box with wrapping-paper, but her gifts the day before had been and she had just been too tired; read that lazy; to do it again that afternoon. She handed the bag off to Bucky, and with a wave directed him to pass it down the table.

"I know I already got the baby a present yesterday, but these were too cute to pass up. Plus I thought everyone would get a kick out of them." Not really a lie, had she seen them in passing instead of deliberately looking for them she would have bought them all the same.

"Thank you, Darcy." Pepper smiled at the younger woman. She hadn't had too much time to really bond with Darcy, mostly since she had become pregnant, but she liked the woman and got on with her well.

Taking the bag from Nat before Tony could grab it, Pepper set it in her lap. Darcy could see the smirk on Bucky's face as Pepper started to pull Avenger themed baby items out for everyone to see. She ignored him and the nervous clench of her stomach and tried to watch Steve out of the corner of her eye instead.

There was a soft smile on his face as everyone cooed over the Mjolnir shaped baby rattle, Iron Man onesie, and Hulk plushie. It was a smile that flickered when Pepper pulled out the last item, a bonnet made to look like the Cap's cowl. She wasn't sure what to make of the look that came over his face then, it was almost wistful and sad. It made the clench in her stomach all the more painful, mostly as she remembered some of the conversation the night before.

"That was all they had left, guess Avenger themed baby items are kind of hot right now. I figured I would shop around online to see if I could find anything for the rest of you. And well, if I can't I can always just make something." It actually annoyed Darcy that there were so few items available for the rest of the Avengers. In her estimation stores should be filled to the brim with Hawkeye themed NERF bows, Black Widow backpacks, Falcon toy launchers, and Winter Soldier jackets. She knew it was something that they all needed to see, mostly Bucky. For so long he had thought himself a monster, and she knew even now he slipped easily back into that way of thinking.

"Thank you, Darcy. They really are cute." Pepper carefully placed each item back in the bag, making sure not to even tear a single bit of tissue paper. When she had started things with Tony she had never imagined that she would end up part of the strange family that was the Avengers. Still, there she was having Iron Man's baby and had a whole slew of superheroes and super-scientists ready to babysit. It was a little surreal, but she wouldn't ever change it.

"Alright, you can have two pieces of cake." Tony reached over to grab the onesie only to have Pepper slap his hand. He frowned at her, but pulled his hand back to take another mouthful of his dinner.

"So I'm forgiven?" Darcy pushed her mouth back out into a pout and gave an over exaggerated fluttering of her lashes. The whole thing was really for show since she knew Tony had pretty much forgiven her immediately.

"For now." Tony waved a hand at the young woman, but gave her a crooked little smile. He knew she would inevitably do something that he could give her shit about. Hell, sometimes he wondered if she just didn't do it all on purpose.

Darcy winked at Tony, sitting fully back in her chair with a smug smirk. Her eyes fell briefly on Steve and the tightness in his shoulders that she hadn't seen in a long time. For a moment she felt regret at what she had done, but in the end she pushed it away and replaced it with an image of a little blonde-headed baby. He would understand…eventually.

* * *

Dinner and dish duty was something that was split up among the residents of the tower. It had all started out on a voluntary basis, but after Darcy and Pepper had ended up having to cook and clean several days in a row a schedule had been drawn up. The pairings had been created to prevent, or at least minimalize, damage to the kitchen. Not that it worked, mostly in the case of Bucky and Darcy.

It was their turn for clean-up duty, which usually meant a mini food-fight between their trading of snarky barbs. Though it was strangely quiet that night as Darcy scraped the leftovers into the garbage disposal while Bucky loaded the washer. The silence and looks she was getting from the ex-assassin left her unnerved.

"What are you playing at?" Bucky rinsed off the plate in his hand before placing it in the rack next to several others. Though he wasn't looking at her directly, he could see the way she stiffened out of the corner of his eye.

"What?" Darcy heard the squeak in her voice and cringed. It was hardly subtle so she had little doubt as to whether he had heard it or not.

"Don't play dumb, Doll." He shook his head. Both he and Steve had refused to allow anyone else to train Darcy, as had been suggested on more than one occasion by Clint and Tony. They had taught her themselves the basics of self-defense, and would teach her anything else needed in the future. It seemed as though he would have to add lying convincingly to that list.

"I'm not playing dumb, I really have no idea what you're talking about." She wasn't the best liar in the world, but she wasn't the worst…at least she wasn't when she was lying to anyone but Bucky. She swore the man had a built in lie detector. Which really made keeping Operation Baby-Daddy a secret so much harder. Alright, actually impossible when it came to the man beside her.

"Right, I'm no idiot. This morning Steve stiffened when you came into the kitchen, he wouldn't even look at you at first and when he did he turned bright red." It wasn't the first time he had seen Steve blush because of Darcy, but normally the woman had done, said, or wore something that caused it. This time all she had done was walk into the room. He figured that one of two things had happened, they had kissed or had finally slept together.

"I don't see how Steve blushing has anything to do with me." Damn Steve! Darcy fidgeted with the fork in her hand, tapping out Bohemian Rhapsody with it and her fingers against the sink.

"And I guess the look you sent him along with that little hand brush you gave him meant nothing either?" He stopped himself from rolling his eyes as Darcy faltered in her rhythm, only just.

"We're friends Buck, I look at and give you random touches all the time, does that mean something is going on between us?" After a moment Darcy continued to tap out the song, only to completely stop as she felt Bucky press up behind her.

"If only, Doll." Bucky laughed to himself at the hitch in Darcy's breath. He had to admit it was good on his ego to know he still had it with women, even if he didn't have any intention of taking things further with the one in front of him. "Seriously though, what is going on?" Sobering, he reached in front of Darcy and took the fork from her before pulling away and placing it in the washer.

Darcy turned towards her annoying friend and glared. He loved to catch her off guard, hell all of the damn superheroes in the tower loved to do that. She would bet everything that they had some sort of game going on to see who could scare or unnerve her the most.

"Nothing, Bucky, nothing really." Darcy cringed at the severe look Bucky gave her. It was the look he gave Steve when he knew he was lying about being injured, just before he physically dragged him to medical. She sighed and leaned back against the sink, the gig was, as they say, up. "We just got to talking last night about our future, and babies might have come up."

Bucky slumped back against the counter and ran a hand through his already messy hair. This really wasn't what he had been expecting to hear. "Aw hell, please don't tell me Steve is actually broody?"

"What do you think, you've known him longer?" Darcy turned to continue with the cleaning up, hoping if she acted like this wasn't a big deal that Bucky would leave it off. Of course she should have known better.

"So, what about babies made him so nervous?" It wasn't like Steve had never talked about children. From what he could remember from their youth, Steve had always dreamed of having a family one day, to be the father that his own had never been allowed to be. Of course, at that time Steve had planned on being married to the woman that carried his child, not whatever it was that he and Darcy were.

"He made mention that it was too bad that we couldn't just have a kid together, and I may have not only agreed but suggested that we should." Darcy visibly cringed as Bucky shot up straight and grabbed her shoulders in a near death grip. Sure, it was a bit shocking to hear, but she thought that he might be overreacting a little.

"Are you insane?" With wide eyes, Bucky stared down at the woman in his arms. This…this was a bit more than finally resolving a bit of sexual tension. This was…this was…insane, that is what it was. Totally and completely insane.

"What, I don't understand either of you. Steve and I are really great friends, we adore each other. You also have to admit we would be rocking parents." Darcy pulled herself from Bucky's grip, it was testament to just how shocked he was. They had roughhoused around before, and Darcy knew that she couldn't ever get out of his grip unless he wanted her to or was distracted.

"I'm not saying you wouldn't be, but, Doll, this isn't about that. Having a kid can complicate things between a married couple, how much more so for two people not even in a relationship?" Bucky watched Darcy move around the kitchen, clearing off plates before loading them into the washer. Both Darcy and Steve could be rash, but he had always thought Steve at least had a good, solid head above his shoulders. Though maybe he should rethink that thought if Steve was going around making suggestions like this.

"We could make it work." This was why she hadn't wanted to tell anyone about her plan, she knew each and every one of them would try and talk her out of it. For once in her life she didn't want to have to sit down and think things to death, she just wanted to do. Admittedly, having a child with one of your best friends after just one conversation was probably something that should be thought over in great detail.

"Maybe you could, but maybe it would just ruin things. Look, I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but just that you should really think about this. Think it over, talk with Steve, because he really cares for you and it would hurt him to lose your friendship." Bucky had seen the way that Steve looked at her, and he knew exactly what would happen if Steve lost her. Add in a child to the mix and Bucky grew worried.

"I care for him too. I promise I will think it over, but I doubt I will change my mind." She didn't want to change her mind, and it was upsetting that Bucky was being so logical and actually making her think. It wasn't fair.

"Whatever, now enough of all this feeling shit." Bucky could see the little wrinkles forming at the corner of her eyes, the ones that indicated that she was upset. He hated upsetting her, but he didn't like where her mind seemed to have been going. He would leave it off for now, but hell if he wasn't going to talk some sense into Steve for even mentioning such a stupid idea.

"I love you too, Bucky." Darcy gave an uneasy smile and went back to work.

"Yeah, yeah." Bucky shook his head and took the plate offered to him. He was going to rip Steve a new one just for making him have to upset Darcy, let alone the asinine idea he had put into her head.

* * *

Darcy entered her room to find it still a mess, the bags filled with baby items covered her bed and floor. She sat down amongst receiving blankets and newborn clothes, each and every one Captain America themed, and placed her head in her hands.

Maybe she had sort of jumped the gun, but the idea of a child, his child, just felt right. She wanted to believe that Bucky was wrong, that nothing would go wrong and she and Steve would be able to do it and nothing change. Still there was a part of her that whispered all the what-ifs.

What if Bucky was right and because of her stupid plan her friendship with Steve ended? What if she turned out to be a crappy mother? What if after convincing Steve she ended up not even being able to conceive?

She sighed and laid back on the bed, pulling one of the blankets into her arms. Maybe she was crazy for even thinking it, but she couldn't help but admit that she wanted it. Running her fingers over the soft material of the blanket she also had to admit to herself that this wasn't the first time she thought about having Steve's kids. He was her friend, her best friend, but she knew that her feelings for him had changed long ago.

Now all she had to do was figure out if she really wanted children, or if she just wanted to make some sort of connection with him, one deeper than the friendship that he offered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Yay, I was actually able to get a new chapter done before Thanksgiving break! Anyway, first off I want to assure everyone this will not turn into a love triangle between Darcy, Steve and Bucky. Darcy and Bucky are close and they do like to flirt, but Bucky is not pining away after her. The reason for Bucky's reaction and view will be explained more later on.
> 
> Also, there will be a good deal of angst for a while before we get to the fluff. There was no way around it. We will get to fluff, so don't worry, but first Steve has a few things he needs to work out.
> 
>  
> 
> **  
> Disclaimer:  
> **  
>  **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**


	3. Degree Three: Living With Superheroes Can Be Hazardous To Your Sanity

Steve leaned back against the headboard of his bed, eyes staring blankly ahead of him. This was a particularly normal pose for the man, relaxed and yet tense with thought. He would often contemplate his life, about those points in time that lead him to where he was currently. Tonight though, he was thinking about a certain young woman, and babies, of all things.

He hadn't lied to Darcy, he _had_ thought about children a lot, even more so after Pepper announced her pregnancy. Pre-serum he hadn't thought it was in his cards for the simple fact of his health. He had been sick and physically weak and he had often feared that even if he had found a dame who wanted him he would've either been unable to have children or died before he had the chance.

After the serum he had been given hope, should he survive the war he would be able to settle down and have a family. It had never crossed his mind that there would be other obstacles to get in the way, or that the effect of the serum itself could be one of those.

He had thought that he had accepted it; never being able to have children of his own. The women he dated and their reactions to the life he lived made that perfectly clear. He had thought he was fine with it, content to keep the world safe and maybe one day be called Uncle Steve by one of his friends' kids. The baby-shower showed him just how wrong he had been.

Out of all of them Tony was the last one anyone thought of as being a father, everyone thought the man would run the other way at just the mention of children. Instead he had proved them all wrong, doting on Pepper and his unborn child. There was already a fully equipped nursery with a special JARVIS program, a completely stocked playroom, and the man never passed up the chance to show off just how excited he was to become a father. Darcy told him that she believed it all stemmed from the fact he wanted to make up for his own father's mistakes.

Steve closed his eyes. Darcy, the whole reason he was currently shut up in his room after dinner instead of watching movies with the others.

When he had made that quip about having a kid with her he had expected her to scoff at him, make some joke, and leave it at that. Never had he thought she would take him seriously, or that she would actually want his child.

It wasn't like he hadn't thought about it. Well, ok, maybe not the 'kid' part exactly, more the process of making one. She was his best friend, after Bucky of course, but he wasn't blind to the fact that she was beautiful. Still, he had never planned on starting anything with her. He knew that way lay only trouble.

He wished he had taken his scotch to his room the night before, or that he had never made that comment, because then he wouldn't be thinking about it. He didn't want to think about Darcy full with his child. He didn't want to think about a little curly-haired blonde toddler stumbling around his apartment. He didn't want to think about how readily she had agreed, or the light he saw in her eyes as she spoke about having his kid. He didn't want to have to think about anything at all at the moment, sadly that seemed to be all he could do.

* * *

Steve avoided Darcy all the next day, the day after that, and the day after that until almost a week had passed. He knew it was silly, cowardly even, practically running from the room every time she entered it. Still, he couldn't deal with any more baby talk from her. He needed time to think, and needed to give her time to realize just how bad the idea was.

He figured after a few days she would rethink everything and push the whole thing out of her head. She would realize how it could ruin their friendship, how his job was not conducive to being a father. Of course he also forgot just how stubborn the woman was, which was stupid as it was that stubbornness that had lead to their friendship in the first place. Once that woman sunk her teeth into something she refused to let go.

He was reminded of that trait when he entered into the common room a week later to find Darcy curled up on one of the couches, knitting needles held between her fingers as she worked on something suspiciously baby-sized.

"I haven't seen you knit in a while." Ignoring the knot that formed in his stomach, Steve took a seat beside Darcy. Back when they had first started experimenting with the whole friendship thing he would sit for hours just watching her knit. It was comforting really, the faint clacking of the needles as she worked. It reminded him of when he was a child and he would sit at his mother's feet as she mended their clothes.

"Wrangling super-scientists and superheroes really doesn't leave me much time for crafts." Darcy barely looked away from her project as the cushion beside her dipped. It was only in part because she knew he had been avoiding her for the past week… the bastard... but also because what she said was true.

When she had just been Jane's intern she had plenty of time to work on personal projects. At first it was mostly because Jane hadn't trusted her to do more than bring her coffee and drive the van, then it was because imputing data into the computers really wasn't a major job when you typed as fast as Darcy did. Unfortunately taking care of the Avengers left her little time to do anything but take a quick shower and sleep.

"Pity, I kind of like those little caps you make." Reaching over, Steve flicked his fingers over the top of Darcy's head. He held back a laugh as she glowered at him for messing up her hair. This was what he didn't want to lose, the easiness in which they interacted with another, the closeness without worry of saying or doing something to offend. He had made many friends since he had woken up, but none of those friendships did he cherish more than the one he had with Darcy.

"Now I know that is a lie, you spent a good deal of time during the first bit of our friendship teasing me about those." In fact he had liked to play hide and go seek with several of them. If she left them out where he could see them they would end up missing, later only to be found in the strangest of places. Captain America might have been a straight-laced goodie-two-shoes, but Steve Rogers was a God-damned troll, and no one could tell her differently.

"Didn't mean I didn't think they were cute, just that I like riling you up. You're like a spitting kitten when you get mad." Sure, Steve knew when she got really mad it was best to stay out of her path, unless you wanted to be tased in the crotch. But playfully mad Darcy was cute, even Nat found it fun to annoy her.

"Be nice or I'll stab you with these." Finally giving him her full attention… not that she really forgave him or anything… she brandished the needles in her hands. She made little poking motions with one while she swirled the other, all the while mindful of the yarn hanging from it.

"I've been shot at, sliced, diced, and beaten; I doubt knitting needles would do much damage." Admittedly, he knew firsthand how sharp the stupid things were. Darcy had the habit of leaving her supplies in the oddest of places. He made sure to check the couch cushions in her rooms anymore before he sat down.

"Wanna take the chance though?" Darcy made her best 'just try me' face, which really just consisted of a raised brow and a cheeky little smirk.

"Not today. So, what are you working on?" Steve flicked a strand of the black yarn she was currently working with before relaxing back into the couch.

"A onesie for Pepper. I've been searching online for baby merch for everyone else and couldn't find anything, so I'm making them myself. Right now I'm working on Hawkeye." The whole project wasn't totally for Operation: Baby-Daddy. She really did want to make the items for Pepper, and most likely would have went ahead and done them had Steve never brought up the baby issue.

"Complete with bow and arrow?" Besides the caps, he had seen some of Darcy's other work. Some of it was cute, silly things like the matching fingerless gloves she made Bucky for his last birthday. And yet he had a beautiful blanket made to look like his shield she had knitted for him thrown over the couch in his rooms. He was sure had she not ended up in the tower she could have easily made a living out of her work.

"Of course, I'm going to do the entire quiver and make it detachable." She had designed it so that way Pepper could hide several binkies and wipes in the quiver. She had even thought about making a bottle cover that looked like an arrow. The ideas kept coming at her faster than she could work.

"Clint will be ecstatic." Steve smiled. Everyone in the tower was looking forward to Baby Stark, even if they pretended not to be. Baby-Girl Stark would be the most protected and spoiled child in the world.

"You kidding me, he came through earlier with Sam and the two got so excited they ran off down to the labs to get Tony to print off schematics so I could get everything to proportion." Darcy laughed, she had never seen anything make two grown men act like little boys like that had. Clint had practically glowed and Sam she swore had teared up.

"Doing Falcon as well?" He knew how much that would mean to Sam. His friend was confidant in his abilities, but joining a team that had already worked together could be hard. Steve knew that at times you second guessed your place, even if that place was never in question.

"I said I was doing everyone, even Bucky." She might even have a little MIB Coulson suit stuffed away in her rooms. She wanted to include everyone in the team, and even though he now ran Shield, Coulson was still an Avenger to her.

"Oh God, I'm scared to ask just what you are planning there." Steve winced just thinking about it. Darcy could really be ornery sometimes.

"I'm doing a coat and mittens, complete with knitted metal arm." She had quickly nixed the idea of doing a hood with a face mask. It would have been perfect for the winter, but Bucky no longer had need to hide his face and she didn't want to upset him.

"You like to annoy Bucky, don't you?" Steve had been worried when he had introduced the two. His friendship with Darcy had still been pretty new and Bucky hadn't been fully himself yet. Darcy could at times be… well to be kind she could be a bit forward… and he had feared her saying something to set Bucky off. Turned out he hadn't needed to worry, Darcy had done for Bucky what she had done for him and helped things be right.

"Of course, thought you would have figured that out by now." Bucky and her had one of those friendships, that at times if you hadn't known them you would have thought they hated each other. They could fight like cats and dogs one minute and by that evening they would be cuddled up on the couch marathoning _Once Upon A Time_.

"Only too well." Steve rolled his eyes, thinking about all the things the two did to each other. Sometimes it was basic stuff; salt in the sugar container, dirt in the coffee pot. Other times…well they had all sworn never to talk about the Great Prank War, for very good reasons.

"Hey it's Buck and I's thing." Darcy looked proud as she said that, but quickly pouted as Steve gave a little laugh. "What's funny?"

"Nothing, I'm just thinking… if we had known you back before the war Bucky would have fallen head over heels for you." So would've he, but that was not something he needed to tell her. Mostly after what happened the last time he had said something concerning her.

Darcy was a little wilder than the girls he had normally gone out with, but the fact that the wildness contrasted with her maternal need to take care of everyone would have been enough to capture Bucky's attention.

"You mean he hasn't now? I'm disappointed." The little pout turned overdramatic as she flopped further into the couch, slapping a hand over her heart in fake dismay.

"Don't be. I think… well I think he could have, now that is, but…" Steve turned away from the little display next to him, his eyes on anything in the room but her. He wanted to say that the idea of the two of them together made him smile, that if they made each other happy he would be too. Only he hated the fact that the thought of even an imaginary relationship between them made him feel a bit queasy.

"But?" She hated it when he trailed off like that, as though she could continue his train of thought on her own. He did it too often, and each and every time she wanted to strangle him.

"Nothing." Steve turned to flash Darcy a large smile, hoping that she would let it go. Of course he was stupid enough to forget how stubborn she was, even if it was only a second.

"No, no, you can't just tell me something like that and not explain." What was it with people and thinking they could drop bombshells on her like they were nothing? Was it some sort of coping mechanism? Did they think she would just nonchalantly brush the news off like she hadn't just been shocked out of her wits?

"You are too good, Darce. You've been a huge help to him while he worked through everything, but he… when you approached him with the offer of friendship he kind of freaked out. He still worries about corrupting you, hell he still worries about that with me, and it isn't like my body count isn't rising with each mission like his." He hated that his friend thought that way; still saw himself as a monster. Bucky might have been doing well, but he was far from healed. At times Steve worried that he never would be. Sometimes he worried about that with himself.

"So, what you're saying is that Bucky could never fall for me because he doesn't think he is good enough for it, for love?" Darcy hadn't felt like shooting something in a long time, but right at that moment she was seriously thinking about tracking down Nat for a little practice down in the training room.

"Pretty much." Steve leaned a little bit away from Darcy. He knew that look; that was the look she had before you heard the charge of her taser. She had clenched her jaw, her nostrils had flared, and she was clutching the needles so tightly he feared they would break.

"Bullshit, Steve, bullshit. I wish the both of you would realize that I couldn't care less about how big a pile of bodies you have left behind." Darcy tried to take a breath in to calm her down, but this was a variation on a topic she had heard all too often.

"I never said…"

"Neither of you have to say anything, I might not be enhanced like you, but I'm intelligent. You two like to try and keep your distance from those not on the team. Both of you have this inane idea that by being around me I will be corrupted and turned into some jaded killer. Newsflash bucko, with the world I grew up in, I'm already jaded." Darcy tossed the needles and half-finished onesie aside and scooted to sit on the edge of the cushion. She ran her hands through her hair a couple of times, counting to ten under her breath.

"I find that hard to believe." He reached forward and took one of her hands before she could spear it back into her now messed up hair. Sure, Darcy was sarcastic and could be a bit pessimistic at times, but he had never met someone so upbeat and positive before.

"There is no such thing as innocence anymore, Steve." She pulled her hand from his and stood up. She thought about pacing the room, but in the end she just stood over him, one hand in her hair and the other on her hip. She knew he had seen the things that went on in the world nowadays. Sure there were things that were much better from when he was a child, but there were also things that were much, much worse.

Children were being killed, and killing. People were dying because they could not eat, and because they had no clean water. Those that had sworn to protect were slaughtering innocents in the street. And no one could claim ignorance when they did nothing to help. How could he think her anything but jaded?

"Makes you wonder why any of us want to bring a child into the world then." His voice was harsher than he had wanted it to be, practically snapping up at her as she looked down at him with watery eyes.

"Maybe because we hope that it will be different for the next generation, that we each hope that it will be better for them and maybe, just maybe we can have a bit of that innocence rub off on us." Darcy had to hold back the tears as she looked at him. Those were the same words her mother had spoken to her when she had been young and wanted to know why Uncle Kenneth, a Vietnam vet, had taken his own life. She had asked why anyone bothered to live and raise a family when they had seen all of that, and her mother had told her those words.

"Hope." Steve wasn't sure if that had been a statement or a question. All he knew was that he wished he could reach out and pull her into his arms without her punching him in the nose.

"Hope." Darcy took a deep breath and let it out. She knew Steve wasn't stupid, he just always wanted to believe the best of her. He wasn't naïve, and he wasn't innocent, he was just… hopeful. "Look, I've got a few things I should probably be doing for Jane, I'll talk to you later."

Steve watched Darcy leave; her shoulders slumped just a little. He wondered how their conversation had turned so grim so fast. He had hoped to discourage her in her mission of having his child, instead all he succeeded in doing was understanding her reasons in the first place. And maybe a bit more about the woman he called friend.

He scooted closer to where she had been sitting, pulling the little knitted onesie into his lap. He ran his fingers over it, marveling at the talent it took to make something so nice.

"Please tell me you're not actually thinking about agreeing." Bucky leaned against the edge of the doorway that led into the common room. Or more accurately the edge of the glass divider. Stark had a very strange sense of decorating. Everything was a little too angular and breakable for his tastes.

"Buck?" Steve just about jumped in his seat from the shock. A feat as with his enhanced hearing people rarely snuck up on him. Nat didn't count, the woman had actual superpowers no matter what she said.

"I get that you're getting all broody and everything, but do me a favor and just get a puppy." Bucky pushed off the glass, careful not to nick it with his left arm. So much of the glass in the tower was supposed to be reinforced, but they had found out the hard way that one tap from his arm could bring a wall down.

"How did you…" Times like this Steve could really see the change in Bucky. Oh, Buck had always been a little shit, but he hadn't always had the ability to just know things like he did now. It had started before, when he had been one of the Howling Commandos. But after he had fallen and they had taken him, they had refined and honed that particular talent.

"Are you really asking me that question? Like I wouldn't notice when my two best friends start acting like idiots." Bucky shrugged his shoulders before plopping down in one of the overstuffed chairs Darcy blackmailed Stark into getting. "I asked Darcy and she told me."

"It's really none of your business." He didn't need anyone else getting involved in the situation between him and Darcy. Once others knew there would be opinions, and arguments, hurt feelings, and mini wars. It was better that it remind between them and allowed to die a quiet death.

"I don't know, I think it might be when my two best friends are thinking about just randomly having a child together for no other reason than they are huge, fucking idiots." Bucky kicked out one socked foot, hitting Steve directly in the shin. If the idiot actually thought he would stand quietly by and let him screw things up, he had another thing coming.

"That is not why and you know it." Steve grabbed a ball of yarn from Darcy's basket and lobed it at Bucky's head. The jerk caught it with his metal hand and proceeded to toss it back and forth like a baseball.

"Maybe, I still think you're stupid for even thinking about it though." He cut off a large strand of yarn, tossing the ball back into the basket before knotting the ends of the strand together.

"I'm not thinking about it. Do you really think I would put her in that sort of situation? She… I know she wants a kid, but she isn't really thinking." Steve rolled his eyes as he watched Bucky twist and weave the yarn around his hands to create a cat's cradle. He huffed but leaned forward to maneuver the yarn when Bucky motioned for him.

"Neither are you." Bucky moved his left hand a little to keep the metal plates from cutting the yarn. He couldn't remember all that much or all that clearly of when he first got the arm, but he does remember having to learn the hard way that the plates could easily pinch if he wasn't careful.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Steve gave Bucky what he hoped was a really good stink-eye as the yarn was passed to him.

"Steve, you were caressing that fucking onesie!" Bucky made sure to pinch Steve's finger as he went in to twist the yarn into a new shape. He hadn't been sure if he should laugh or cry when he entered into the room to find his friend petting the damned thing like a puppy. It was kind of pathetic really.

"I was just admiring her work." Ok, so maybe he had run his fingers over the stitches a little slower and with more care than most people, but he did admire it and the thing was a present and he didn't want to destroy it.

"Just promise me that you will talk to her about this before it goes too far? I just don't want…" He huffed out a breath and left his words hanging as he looked up at Steve, sure that he would understand him.

"I know, and I promise. It was never really on the table to begin with, I had no idea she would take me seriously." Again, he was stupid for thinking that in the first place. Of course, he had never thought in a million years that she would agree so wholeheartedly.

The two remained silent for a while after that, each taking turns maneuvering the yarn around and passing it back and forth. It wasn't until the yarn caught on one of Bucky's plates and got knotted up that they spoke.

"So, did she tell you what she planned on doing for the Soldier?" Bucky rolled the yarn into a little ball in between his palms, flicking it at Steve once it was a fuzzy mess.

"Coat and mittens complete with knitted metal arm." Steve laughed at the look that crossed Buck's face. He looked so comically horrified he wished he had his phone with him so he could take a picture. It would have went perfectly with the one that Steve snuck when Bucky had been painting Darcy's toe-nails; a favorite of his as Darcy had somehow convinced Bucky to let her French-braid his hair.

"Shit, this kid never had a fucking chance, did it?" He was trying to picture the poor kid, looking like a stuffed doll in one of Darcy's creations and all it did was cause his eyes to grow wider.

"With Tony for a father? Not a chance in hell."

* * *

Darcy flicked on her computer monitor with a little more force than she had planned, the thin screen wobbling precariously before she steadied it. She knew she shouldn't have gotten as angry as she had, she had known from the beginning that it would be an uphill battle trying to convince Steve what a perfect idea it was. The problem was she had begun to understand his side of it.

Typing out her password she didn't even pretend to hold back and simply smashed her fingers along the keys. She didn't want to see things his way, and she didn't want to be second guessing herself. Damn him, damn him, damnhimdamnhimdamnhimdamnhim!

"Hey Kid, careful with the equipment." Tony leaned over to grasp one of Darcy's wrists. He had been wandering around the tower…he was not snooping on Foster, thank you very much Pepper… when he had come across the young woman pounding away at the computer. Literally pounding away, he figured it would result in either a broken finger or broken keyboard, though most likely both with the force that Lewis was putting behind it.

"Shit, Tony, don't sneak up on people!" Darcy pulled her hand from Tony's grip and held it to her chest, the beat of her heart pounding against her ribcage. Though she wasn't sure if it was from Tony being his usual ass self or because of her frustration with the whole Steve/baby thing.

"Yeah, I kind of made enough noise that I'm sure they heard me two floors away. So, what has you pissed off?" He could be sneaky if he wanted, but there was one thing he had learned in his life and that was not to sneak up on pissed off women. To do so normally resulted in bruised balls and a broken nose.

"Really, we are doing this? Feelings, Tony? I didn't think that was your thing." It wasn't that she thought Tony was a robot or anything, or the cold bastard that certain parts of the media still liked to paint him as. Tony was… well Tony was Tony. He was emotionally damaged, self-centered, and had pretty much been taught that for a man to show feelings is a weakness. It took a bit, but he could be coaxed into sharing. It was something that Thor had been working with him on. If there was any man in the tower that embraced all his emotions, it was Thor.

"Well I kind of have to get used to it now that I'm going to be a father, or at least that's what Pepper says." Tony's eyes wandered a moment as the image of Pepper passed through his mind. He had never thought he would be a father, hell he had never wanted to be. His own father hadn't won any Father of the Year awards, and he doubted that the apple fell to far from the tree. Now, though he still worried, he couldn't wait to meet his little girl.

"She's right, children are very emotional creatures." It made Darcy laugh every time she thought about Tony trying to deal with tantrums. The baby was going to be a Stark, so she had little doubt that the kid would throw epic ones. It was that thought that normally stopped the laughing as she realized that she was living in the same tower as many of those tantrums would take place.

"I think I'll be alright, I'm doing pretty good with the whole relationship and friendship thing." And that, Tony figured, was the thing. He hadn't ever been good at any of those things. Shit, he was pretty sure that his friendship of Rhodey only lasted this long because the man was a saint… or just as crazy as he was. Now though he had maintained a relationship with Pepper and several friendships, he figured father might not be too bad after all.

"You'll be a wonderful dad." Darcy reached out and patted Tony's arm. She knew he acted cool and collected a lot, but she had seen him when he wasn't in control; panic attacks and bouts of misery induced drinking. He, like all in the tower needed to be reminded how worthy they were.

"So, since we've established that I'm really just that wonderful, what's the matter?" Tony patted her hand before sliding up onto the corner of her desk. The look she gave him was anything but impressed, but he really didn't care, even though the Lab was Jane's technically everything belonged to him as it was his Tower.

"Could I maybe tell you that it's nothing and have you actually believe it?" Darcy gave an awkward smile up at the man, trying to make herself as cute as possible.

Everyone thought that living in the tower with superheroes would be a cool thing. And don't get her wrong, they did have their uses. She never had to worry about getting things from the top shelf. And of course there was that one time she had run into Jessie, Miss Popular and Queen Bitch when she was in high-school, and she had been able to brag about where she was living and who her friends were when Jessie went on and on about her still having an assistant job. Assistant to the Avengers was nothing to sniff at, Bitch.

The only thing was that there were a lot of downsides too. Such as living with a bunch of very intuitive people that could sniff out problems like fucking bloodhounds. Once one of them got ahold of a whiff of upset they pounced and sunk their teeth in.

"No can do, Kiddo. So, spill, Papa Tony is listening." He reached down grabbed the thick rope of her braid and gave a gentle tug. Of course all he got for his show of affection was a slapped hand. Damn, that had some sting behind it.

"Oh my God, please never say that again!" Darcy shuddered in horror. That was seriously nightmare inducing.

"Whatever, Pepper likes it." Tony smirked down at her and winked… and then winced when she smacked his knee. What was it with her and hitting?

"No she doesn't." Darcy wondered if she could sprain her eyes from rolling them so hard. Tony was fooling himself if he thought he was the one in charge in that relationship. Pepper had ahold of him by a steel band around his balls, and Tony enjoyed every minute of it… and that caused another shiver of disgust. She really didn't need to be thinking of Tony's balls with everything else going on.

"Shut up and talk….. I know, I know, just tell me what the fuck is wrong before I just ask JARVIS." He would too, it wouldn't even be the first time he had done it. Admittedly, the last time he did Nat had found out and he couldn't sit properly for a week. Woman practically ripped his spine from his back.

"I hate you… fine, it is just… have you ever wanted something that everyone told you was a bad idea and yet still made plans to attain it, only before you got it you began realizing why everyone else told you to forget it?" Darcy couldn't look at him as she spoke, instead she kept her eyes down on the keyboard.

"Um, no. Normally I don't care what anyone else says, if I want something I buy it." That had always been his philosophy in life. He had the money, and everything and everyone had a price. Especially in today's world. The only thing in the world he had wanted more than anything that he couldn't buy had been Pepper. He thanked God every day that she wanted him too.

"Yes, well this isn't something I can just throw money at and everything will work out in the end." Even if Steve was willing to sell her his sperm it wasn't something she felt comfortable with. She didn't just want a baby, she wanted his baby and for him to be involved. She wasn't willing to settle for anything less.

"Then it isn't worth having." Tony shrugged his shoulders and attempted to tug on her braid again. This time he moved his hand away in time, sadly what he got was hit in the ass with a stapler instead.

"Tony!" Darcy was really contemplating the benefits of murder the more she talked to Tony. Only thing was she liked Pepper and she was sure the older woman would be mad if she hurt Tony.

"I'm kidding. Look, Kid, don't let other's opinions cloud your judgment. If you want something, really want something, and you can't think of any reasons yourself not to… well take it." If he had listened to the complaints and worries of others he wouldn't be where he was now. Had his father listened to the naysayers SI wouldn't be what it was, and the world wouldn't have their precious Captain America.

"What if what I want involves someone else?" She bit her lip and hoped like hell that Tony wouldn't guess. Ok, so maybe he wouldn't be able to actually guess what was bothering her, but he could guess the who at least.

"Shit Lewis, please tell me we are not talking about you trying to sex up one of the Soldier Boys!" Tony's feet made a loud thud as they hit the floor. He stood over her, his eyes raking up and down as though he could figure out the answer just by looking at her.

"What?! No! What would make you think that?" Darcy's eyes grew huge as she pushed back her chair from the desk. Why the hell did Tony always have to go straight for the dirty conclusions?

"Everyone knows you have a thing with those two, we've all got a poll going actually about which one you'll end up in bed with. I have my money on both, just so you know." He continued to look her over for any sign that he may have won. A set of matching hickies or something. He was pretty sure that both Barnes and Rogers were the territorial marking type. Sadly, either they were very, very naughty and the marks were below the neckline, or they had yet to take the plunge.

"Separately or together?" Ok, so the idea was appealing, but… no, she was not going to allow her brain to go down that path. At least not while Tony was standing right there.

"Together, I figure you're a smart girl." He shrugged his shoulder again, his hands slipping into his pockets. Hey, he wasn't stupid or blind, he was sure those soldiers were super on more than the battlefield.

"But… I… ok, yeah we are not discussing this. And you can tell the others that if I hear about this stupid pool again I _will_ tase them all in the balls." Just to prove her point she grabbed the pen-taser she always kept in her desk and brandished it like a wand. Her very illegal taser, and one of many she had stashed around the tower.

"Pepper and Jane voted for Cap, and Nat is with me." He lifted his brows up as if to say 'what're you going to do about it?' It really shouldn't've surprised her, it was both Pepper and Jane that had started the ongoing poll to see how long each new assistant lasted in Bruce's lab.

"Ok, tase them in the balls and tits. And really, what the hell is with you and Nat?!" Darcy tried to go over every interaction she had had with both men to see where Tony and Nat could've gotten the idea, and… well ok so they were rather close, but it wasn't like they were necking in the common room.

"I just think you have a brain, but according to Nat she's been with Barnes and seen Cap's Full-Monty and thinks you would be stupid not to go for it." And that was a conversation he could have done without. Nat was a beautiful woman, fucking sexy actually, but he really hadn't needed to hear her go on and on about Barnes' technique or what sort of freaky shit he was willing to do in bed. He shuddered to remember it.

"Eh, she's got a point, I've seen them both." Darcy smiled wide. All those blogs dedicated to the Cap and the Soldier, all those women and men trying to figure out just what the two were packing just by their uniform bulge… well they would be really pleased to know just how super both of them were.

"Oh please, oh please tell me I won." Tony clapped his hands together and bounced on the balls of his feet.

"Sorry to disappoint, it was just after a mission. Remember the one where you all came back covered in sticky orange slime? Bucky hadn't even waited until he got to his room to disrobe and I accidentally caught a glimpse of Steve after he left the shower." If Darcy's eyes glazed over as she thought about it, no one would blame her. They had been a sight to behold even covered in neon orange slime.

"How did you accidentally see that when he showered in his room?" A single brow raised in question. Oh, the naughty, naughty girl. He knew there was a reason why he liked her.

"What can I say, I was curious." She shrugged. It wasn't like she was the only one to sneak a peek. She had caught Jane, Pepper and Hill side-eyeing the guys when they had been in various stages of undress. Though she wasn't sure she could really count Jane, as she had a pretty good idea that the woman had just been watching her boyfriend.

"So if it isn't about sex, what is it?" He really hoped it wasn't some feelings thing. Sex he could deal with, money, sure, but he wasn't ready to deal with weepy girls yet. He wasn't sure he would ever be ready, even if Pepper informed him he would have to get used to it.

"Personal. Look, thanks for the little talk, but that is all you are getting." She rolled back to her desk, fingers going straight to the keyboard. Though she at least didn't try to kill the thing as she typed this time.

"I could still ask JARVIS…" Tony rocked back and forth on his heels, hands stuck back in his pockets. It was a threat he had used many times, even if it never worked. But he was sure that it would sometime with someone.

"You would never do that." She continued typing away, hoping that Tony would take the hint. Of course he didn't, or he did but he didn't care. The later was probably the most accurate.

"I would if I thought whatever it was would put everyone here at risk." He failed to mention that he had done it before. One, because he didn't want to get tased, and two, because he didn't want to have to explain that when he had done it he ended up just finding out that she was on her period. Girls were really weird about that sort of thing.

"I promise that no one is in danger and this is between me and someone that shall not be named." Looking up from her typing, she gave him a look that simply said that he should drop it or a world of hurt would be coming his way. "But I hope you know that I would come to you if I thought something would bring anyone to harm."

Tony slipped a hand from his pocket and ruffled her hair. He liked to give the girl crap, but she was one of the most loyal, sweet and caring women on the planet. He was glad that his daughter would be able to know her.

"Good to know. Now, if I remember correctly you had the afternoon off and should be off doing fun things, so go, go, shoo little girl!" He made shooing motions with his hands. Sometimes the girl could be worse than Jane and Bruce combined.

"You really are not funny, Tony." She tried to smooth down her hair after he messed it up, sadly it was a lost cause.

"I really am, now go before I have JARVIS delete all your playlists." He glared down at her. A person's playlist was sacred, but sometimes desperate measures were called for.

"You wouldn't!" She had never gotten her iPod back and had spent the past couple of years rebuilding all of her music. She would kill him if he touched it.

"I so would, now go." He wouldn't back down, in fact if she didn't leave in the next two minutes he would start deleting a playlist a minute until she left. Of course JARVIS would have a backup, but she didn't need to know that.

"Meanie. Fine, I'm off." She pushed her chair back under the desk with as much force as she could. Turning on her heel, she stuck her tongue out at Tony and marched out of the lab.

Once out the door Darcy leaned against the wall, eyes shut as she thought over her conversation with Tony. Well the advice part, she didn't even want to think about the fact that all her friends were betting on who she would sleep with. Fuck, she hoped Steve and Bucky never got wind of that.

She wanted to just say fuck Steve and go for what she wanted, and yet she also wanted to just let it go and not risk her friendship. Why did everything have to be so complicated? Life sucked big balls; big, big, hairy balls!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so a bit later than I had planned, but finals killed me. Anyway, that is all done with until next semester, so I have a few weeks to actually spend writing. I hope to have chapter four out by Christmas weekend.
> 
> And to those who read my other work. I'm hoping to finish the thundertaser Hat-trick this weekend and then we start Agenttaser. I am also working on several other stories, Irontaser, Wintershock, and even a Darcy/Jarvis just because.
> 
> ** Disclaimer: ** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**


	4. Degree Four: A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

Things were tense between Darcy and Steve over the next couple of days. Neither avoided the other; it hadn't done any good the last time so why bother; but still the two hadn't fallen back into their normally easy friendship. Everyone around the tower noticed, but all besides Bucky believed it had something to do with sexual tension. All those rooting for Steve in the pool waited eagerly.

Bucky of course knew what was going on, and he just thought his best friends had lost their minds. He had hoped after speaking to them both they would come to their senses, he really should have known better. Steve had always been a stubborn bastard; it was in fact how he ended up where he was now. Everyone had always been so ready to write Bucky off as the troublemaker between the two of them, mostly he figured it was because of Steve's size. Funnily enough it had always been Steve pulling stupid ass stunts making Bucky save his idiotic hide.

It seemed that the serum, the years on the ice, and age hadn't changed him one bit. Bucky could see it in his eyes, in the way Steve looked at Darcy and the expression on his face whenever Pepper walked into the room. Steve was fucking thinking about it, and the current situation wasn't helping matters. He could seriously kill Tony Stark sometimes.

"I've got pictures for everyone!" Tony swanned into the common room, because Tony Stark never just walked anywhere, waving about a yellow envelope in his hands. He might have been a bit excited, alright, a lot excited as he had rushed upstairs without waiting for Pepper. Which was something he was sure to hear about, but at the moment he couldn't care less and simply spilled the contents of the envelope onto the coffee table.

Everyone watched on as several black and white photos slipped over the glass top, a couple falling onto the floor. Tony looked like a kid in a candy store as he bounced on the balls of his feet. He clapped his hands together and looked between the photos and everyone else.

"Oh come on! Hurry it up!" Impatient, he gathered the pictures into a huge pile and began to dole them out. He couldn't help the smile that split his face as he waited for everyone's reactions. Pepper had told him that not everyone would be as excited as he was, but he didn't understand how anyone wouldn't be.

"I know you're excited for the baby, but did you seriously need to have that many copies of the ultra-sound made?" Clint looked down at the picture in his hand. He had seen ultra-sound pictures before and they always reminded him of those inkblot tests that shrinks gave you. This one though…. Yeah, this was more "The Screamer" in his opinion.

"They're the 3-D ones, so yes, I did. Come on, you can't tell me you don't want a copy." Tony shook the couple he had stashed in his hand. He had made enough for all of the team and friends. Ok so maybe he had gotten a few too many, but who really could blame him; everything he made was perfect.

"Why would I…" Clint's mouth snapped shut as he felt a pressure on the inside of his thigh. His eyes fluttered down to where Nat had dug her nails harshly into his leg. Her nails were painted a blood red. How appropriate.

"Of course he does, we all do." Nat took her copy from Tony with her unoccupied hand and smiled down at the picture.

"I've always loved you best." Tony sidled up to Nat, fluttering his eyelashes at her. Of course all he got for the effort was a light kick in the shin from her booted foot.

"Don't push it, Tony." Nat narrowed her eyes at the man. She might get along with him now, and if pressed she would even say they were friends, but he still annoyed the shit out of her most days.

"Sheesh, fine I'll shut up. But first… pictures!" Tony danced on the balls of his feet again, hands clasped tightly together as he gave them expectant looks.

"This looks like baby Voldemort. Ow! Fuck Nat!" Clint folded in on himself as Nat dug her nails in even more. It wouldn't be so bad, but he hadn't changed out of his sweats and the flimsy material gave way to her grip. He was sure she had actually pierced the fabric.

"First off, this is a she as you should well know. Second, call my daughter that again and I'll make your life a living hell." Suddenly serious, Tony glared down at the archer. And people called him insensitive!

Clint sat up straight and pushed himself back as far as he could into the couch. Out of the suit, Tony was no match for him, but Tony never really fought fair. Plus, Clint was pretty sure that Tony would involve Jarvis. So he decided to err on the side of caution… for a little bit at least.

"Don't listen to him, Tony. Now, gimme, gimme, gimme! I want my copy!" Darcy bounced up and down on her corner of the couch while making grabby hands at Tony. She squealed once she had the picture in her hands. "Awww, she's so cute! She's got Pepper's nose!" She ran one finger down the little arch of the baby's nose. She felt her stomach clench at the image. It wasn't just Steve that she wanted, she really did want a baby of her own. Very, very much.

"See, now that is how you respond to your teammate's baby." Tony settled down on the arm of the couch by Darcy, one arm slung around her shoulders.

"Yeah, well she is probably just broody. Biological clock ticking away and all. Ow, damnit Nat, stop doing that!" Clint was sure that she had actually drawn blood this time. What was her problem anyway, he had laid off of Tony.

"I'll stop when you stop being a heartless bastard." She dug in her nails just a little more to make a point before releasing him. Though she was mindful to keep her hand close enough to latch on if Clint started up again.

"So, never then?" Sam laughed from his spot on the floor at Nat's feet. He liked Clint, but the guy never knew when to shut up. Of course that really could be said for most of his teammates when he thought about it.

"Good to know you're on my side dude." Clint rolled his eyes and sunk back into his seat. What the hell ever happened to bro-solidarity and all that shit?

"Sorry man, I'll be on your side when you're right. Until then… well I've learned never to disagree with the Black Widow." Sam winked up at Nat and nudged her leg with his shoulder. He had seen what she could do, and he knew personally what those thighs could do. Like hell he was siding against her.

"I've… yeah, ok, you're right there." He crossed his arms over his chest and commenced pouting. At some point he knew he would look pathetic enough that someone would forgive him.

"So, as much fun as it is to take the piss out of Clint, can we get back to my daughter now?" Tony shook a couple of the pictures again, accidentally hitting Darcy on top of the head as he did so. He gave her a sheepish smile when she glared up at him and proceeded to ruffle her hair. Which of course only increased the glare.

"She really is beautiful Tony, she will bring honor to the Stark family I am sure." Thor stood and made his way to Tony with his hand out stretched. On Asgard the expecting of a girl-child was just as monumental as a boy. He had no doubt that the young daughter of Stark would be a great warrior like both her parents.

"Thanks Shakespeare." Tony clasped Thor's hand, thankful that Darcy had given the big guy lessons on how to handle mere mortals. Sadly, Thor still forgot at times and ended up tossing one of them across the room with a shoulder pat. "Hey, Cap, Buck, you two are being quiet, what do you think?" Everyone else had at least made some sort of grumbling, mumbling sounds, but the Soldier Boys hadn't even made a peep.

"It's an ultra-sound, I don't know what you want me to say?" Bucky shrugged his shoulders. Frankly, Clint had been right. Babies were cute and all, but this 3D ultra-sound thing was kind of scary looking. Not that he was stupid, Darcy would tase him in the balls if he actually voiced his opinion.

"That I make the prettiest babies." Tony preened, and maybe he was playing it up just a bit… just a bit though.

"I'm going to say that it's Pepper actually, you're fuck-ugly." Personally he thought Stark looked a little too much like his father. Though that was something else he knew to keep his mouth shut about. If there ever was a man with daddy issues it was Tony Stark.

"Right in the feels, Barnes, right in the feels." He slapped one hand over his heart and the other against his forehead. Thankfully he knew Pepper wanted to lie down so there was no one to smack him upside the head.

"Hey, why does Barnes get to be an ass, but I get clawed? It doesn't seem fair!" The pout on Clint's face increased as he whined. No one ever scolded Bucky. Alright, so Darcy was known to smack him upside the head every now and then, but at the moment she was gazing at the damned creepy ultra-sound all teary-eyed and shit.

"Left arm has a mind of its own. Plus, I'm pretty." To make his point, Bucky shot out his left arm and flipped Clint the bird.

"I'm pretty too." Clint sneered at Bucky and went to flip him off as well when he felt Nat's hand rest on his thigh again. Seriously not fair.

"Sure you are." Resting her hand down, she patted his leg and laughed. She knew just how inflated Clint's ego was, he could use a bit of the pressure being taken out.

"Don't patronize me." Clint shoved Nat's hand away and tried to curl up as far away from her as he could. Of course this meant that he was crowding Darcy who had no problems shoving him off her. Shit, what was with all the women he knew? He didn't think there was one that wouldn't hesitate to kick his ass.

"Don't be an idiot." Nat gave Clint a blank look. How long had he known her? Hell, their relationship hadn't really changed all that much since they had first met; he was still an idiot and she still refused to pander to him.

"Right… well Cap, what say you?" Normally Tony found the spy twins amusing, but right now they were supposed to be oohing and ahhing over his daughter. Which was why he had turned to the only other one besides Darcy and Thor that he knew wouldn't make some snide comment. Only the Cap looked a million miles away, and apparently he wasn't the only one that thought so as Darcy reached over and laid a hand on his knee.

"Steve, hey Steve, are you alright?" Darcy had been trying not to look at him, not with the ultra-sound picture in her hand. She had known he would react, it was little hard not to with everything going on with them lately. Still, she had not expected him to look like a ghost. He was pale, and she could see how he seemed to be having trouble breathing.

"Huh? Oh, yeah I'm fine. She's beautiful Tony. Thank you for the copy." Steve had pretty much blocked everyone out the moment he had looked down at the photo in his hand. He hadn't known what to expect, but the perfect little face had not been it. He probably would have continued to stare in wonder had he not felt the pressure of Darcy's hand on his knee.

"You're welcome. Are you sure you're alright, you look kind of funny? More than normal anyway." Tony waved a hand up and down at the man. He actually looked kind of sick, which was really weird because as far as anyone knew the Cap couldn't get ill.

"I'm fine, just have a lot on my mind right now. I'm actually late for something, I'll see you guys later." He tucked the photo into his shirt pocket and shot up from the couch as fast as he could. He needed to get out of there. He couldn't breathe, it felt much like it had before the serum; a tight constriction in his chest that wouldn't let go and allow air in. He left as fast as he could without seeming as though he was running away.

"Ok, well that was odd. That was odd right? I mean everyone else thinks that was odd?" Tony looked back and forth between Darcy and the door. He was used to people being strange, hell he had a Norse god living in his tower, but that was just outright bizarre.

"Yes, Tony, that was odd. What do you think got into him?" Bruce looked from Darcy to Bucky, noticing the strange way their faces both pinched. He had been pretty silent, content to just observe, but what he had observed he still had no clue.

"It wasn't odd, he was just late for something. Actually, I'm late too. See ya!" Darcy jumped up from her place on the couch, maneuvering over Sam's legs and past Bucky who tried to grab her wrist unnoticed. She moved out of his way quickly and left in the same direction as Steve had.

"Ok, now I know that was odd. Why is everyone being odd today? It is very rude to be odd when I'm sharing pictures." Tony settled down in Darcy's seat and pouted. This was not how it was supposed to go.

"Shut up, Tony."

* * *

 

Darcy knew where she would find Steve, all of the Avengers had their little hideouts for when they wanted to be alone. It was sort of an unsaid rule that no one entered those sanctuaries when they were occupied. Then again Darcy never liked to follow rules, said or unsaid.

She sighed when she pushed open the doors to the vintage gym Tony had set up for his two vintage team members. She had hoped he would have just been beating on his bags, busting a few of them open. Instead he was sitting on the edge of the boxing ring, ultra-sound picture in hand. He looked so sad as he looked down at the little black-and-white rendering of baby Stark. This was what she had wanted, for him to crave a child as much as her, and yet it actually pained her to see him looking so miserable.

"Every time I think I've accepted that I'll never have kids, something like this always happens." Steve didn't look up at Darcy as she entered, he really didn't need to. He had known the moment he had left that she would follow, even if he didn't want her to. "This is unbelievable, to be able to see your child like this before they're ever born."

"You know you don't have to accept anything?" Darcy jumped her way up to sit herself beside him. She leaned her shoulder against his arm, hoping that he wouldn't shake her off. She figured he had every right to, she was the one that had made such a big deal of this. He might have made a passing mention, but she was the one that caused this mess. Didn't matter if she was unrepentant or not.

"Yeah, I do." He wished she hadn't followed, he wasn't in any shape for a confrontation. And that was what this was going to be. There could not be a simple conversation between them on this subject, it was too raw and they were both too passionate about it.

"We could…" Darcy yelped when he suddenly pushed away from her and off the ring until he was facing her.

"Darcy! Just stop, please." He would get on his knees and beg her if he had to. He couldn't continue on with this, and he had to make her understand that.

"Why? Tell me why. I'm willing, and I know you want a child. We would be good parents, you know that." She moved to sit on the very edge of the ring, her body moving forward so she could look at him straight in the eyes. She couldn't understand why he fought her so much. She saw the yearning in his eyes when he looked at that photo. So why couldn't he allow himself to be happy?

"I'm not saying we wouldn't, but Darce… this isn't as simple as saying we want a kid and that is that. We're not normal, I'm not normal." He ran his hands through his hair and clasped down tight at the base of his neck. He had never been so frustrated in his life. It was so simple a concept, it should have been plain for anyone to see.

"You are just as normal as everyone else, you're just a man." Hell, she figured he was probably one of the most normal in the tower. It was one of the things that made him so great, he was surrounded by so much power and yet he stayed pretty down to earth.

"I'm Captain America. Damn it, Darcy, can't you see?" Steve slammed his hands down on the mat beside Darcy, his shoulders hunched until his head hung low. His muscles tensed as he felt her hand slide across his shoulder-blade and come to rest at the base of his neck, but he didn't shake her off. Her touch was comforting even if she was the one upsetting him in the first place.

"What I see is a man that is so frightened of the future that he is denying himself happiness." Her voice fell to little more than a whisper as she leaned into him, her chin resting on his shoulder.

"I  _am_  frightened!" He pushed up off the mat, his hands wrapping around Darcy's shoulders as though to try and shake some sense into her. He would admit that he was scared, and he didn't know why she wasn't as well. "Darce, I know you don't see me as Captain America and I adore you for that, but maybe you should see me that way at least a bit." Slowly, he slipped his hands up to cradle her face. So few in the world saw him as just Steve Rogers anymore. Even in the tower it was limited to four people, and three of them still had to acknowledge Cap more often than not. It was one of the things that made Darcy so precious to him.

"I get that you are a superhero, that doesn't bother me." Darcy mirrored Steve, placing her hands on his cheeks. She sighed and closed her eyes as he pressed his forehead to hers. They hadn't been this close since the last big terrorist attack that left Steve injured and unable to sleep. She didn't know what to think about the fact that the subject of having a child made him react the same way.

"You still don't understand. This isn't about you being bothered by the mask and shield, this is about the fact that what I do and who I am is dangerous. Any children I have, and the mother of those children, would be in danger. So many out there would want to use you against me believing you to be my weakness," he pulled back just enough to look her straight in the eyes, hoping that she would understand him finally. "…and they would be right."

"Just being your friend puts me in danger. Hell, I'm friends with all the Avengers, I'm already in danger. But you know what? I live in one of the most secure buildings in the world, with said superheroes. I don't even leave the tower without some sort of escort most of the time." She wasn't stupid. Having someone trail her wasn't about losing one's independence, but about acknowledging the fact that she had a fucking huge target painted on her back and she wasn't trained for combat against professional villains. She was about as protected as she could be, and nothing she could do from now on could make her any less a target.

"All this security wouldn't be able to protect you if I was the one to die." He ran his thumbs slowly over her cheekbones, his eyes practically boring into her. How had she not thought of that?

"What the fuck are you talking about?" A shock of horror flashed through her at just the thought of Steve dying. She knew it could happen. Every mission he left on, every call to assemble, left Darcy feeling hollow until he returned safe and sound.

"I'm not immortal, I know sometimes it seems like nothing can hurt me, but believe me I can be killed. What would happen to you and our child if I was killed?" He pulled fully away from her, standing far enough apart from her that he wouldn't easily give into the urge to pull her back to him.

"I don't care…" She jumped off ring and advanced on him, taking a step for every step he took back until he had stopped moving. She wasn't about to allow him to run away, not from the conversation and not from her.

"I do! I won't put you and any child of mine in that position. It would be irresponsible of me." There were things that he understood better than her, he knew what it was like growing up without a father. He had watched as his mother struggled to raise him, he had seen the heartbreak in her eyes whenever she talked about his father. He refused to do that to Darcy.

"What about Tony then? He could be killed just as, if not more, easily than you. Still, he and Pepper are having a child. If he is willing to take that chance, why can't you?" She wouldn't put her life on hold because of the fear of loss, and she wouldn't let him either. It was a risk everyone took, not just them.

"Things are different for Tony, he has ways to take care of Pepper and his daughter if something happens to him. I've got nothing." Maybe he thought Tony was a bit irresponsible as well, but he didn't have any say in his teammate's life like he did in his own.

"Like the fuck that is true. Do you really think anyone here would let us suffer?" If he actually believed that he was a lot more foolish than she thought. She might have come to the tower as nothing more than Jane's assistant and friend, but she had become intertwined with everyone there. She knew that if anything ever happened she would have a line of people waiting to help her.

"No, fuck no… damn, you would probably get tired of dealing with Buck, hell he'd probably marry you just out of honor and duty. Still…" Tired of the whole conversation, Steve leaned back against the wall and slid to the floor. They said a lot of words, but had gotten nowhere. It was like trying to roll uphill with several hundred pounds strapped to your legs.

"Still you are scared. I get it, when I think about it I am too, but then I think about being like Pepper. I think about showing off ultra-sound pictures to all our friends, decorating the nursery, and holding our child for the first time. I think about all those things and I realize that it's worth it, every God damn thing is worth it." She kneeled down on the floor in front of him, placing her hands on his knees. She smiled when he reached out on grasped them. He didn't smile back at her, just rested his head against the wall and shut his eyes. But it was alright, because he wasn't trying to pull away.

"I refuse to do that to you… I won't do that to you." He squeezed her hands in his, bringing them together until he could hold them both between his knees.

"And I refuse to give up. I know you want this as much as I do, and I won't allow you to throw away happiness just because you are scared."

* * *

 

Sam had been watching Steve for a few days, and Darcy along with him. They had been acting, as Tony had said, odd. At first he had thought he'd won the pool, but the more Sam watched the more he realized it wasn't morning after awkwardness. It was, however, awkward and fraught with sexual tension; even if they had no idea.

He had thought to confront Steve about what was going on, try to get him to confide in him, but after what just happened Sam realized there might just be another way of getting information. He should have thought of it before, Steve and Darcy were Bucky's closest friends. Either the two would confide in him or Bucky would've figured it out himself.

"So, Steve and Darcy?" Sam leaned against the railing of the balcony, his eyes seemingly focused on the street below even though he actually watched the man beside him from the corner of his eye.

"Are idiots, I know." Bucky flicked the finished cigarette in his hand off the balcony, watching as it slowly fluttered down to the ground. He probably took a little too much pleasure in the thought of his cigarette butt falling in someone's coffee. Their own fault he figured. Before all the shit that brought him there, back when he had been just some jerk kid, most of the residents of the city would have been in their beds… or someone's bed at least. But now New York never slept, and it didn't matter how late it was someone was always up.

"Ok, let's start that again. So, Bucky, what is going on with Steve and Darcy?" Sam turned his eyes away from the street and directly to Bucky. He waved off the offer of a cigarette and barely kept himself from smacking the stupid thing out of Bucky's hand.

"Besides being idiots?" Bucky slipped the cigarette between his lips and with a flick lit it. He took a long drag, letting the smoke drift past his lips and nose. He had enjoyed smoking once, though now he did it more out of habit than anything. It was something he could do with his hands he guessed.

"Yes, besides that." Sam had seen many types of friendships in his life, those created during childhood, through shared tragedy, common likes and goals, and forged from trust while in battle. Bucky and Steve's was a strange mix of all those, it was a closeness far beyond brotherhood. Add in Darcy, and well… the three of them had become a sort of family unit of their own, separate from the rest of the team.

"Nothing much, just thinking about having a baby." He took another pull from the cigarette before snuffing it out in the palm of his metal hand. The thing tasted like shit; there were just some things that hadn't improved with time.

"Excuse me, but what the fuck?" Surely he had to have heard him wrong, though by the raised brow of his companion he figured he hadn't.

"Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction." Bucky tossed the snuffed out butt off the balcony to join its brother. He leaned over the railing the same as Sam, just watching all the people pass.

He wasn't feeling at his best, the night-terrors he had thought were gone had snuck back up on him. He hadn't slept in three nights, unable to stomach the thought of another blood filled dream. He knew he should probably tell Steve, but the punk had enough on his plate.

"I didn't even realize they were together." Sam had hoped of course, and not just because of the bet. Steve had become a very good friend, and all he wanted was to see him happy. When they had met he was still silently suffering, and finding out about Barnes hadn't done him much help. Since meeting Darcy though, Sam had watched him blossom alongside their friendship. She was good for him, for both of them really.

"They're not." Bucky wasn't sure what to do. He loved them both and only wanted what was best for them, but they were both so incredibly stupid at times.

"Damn, I think I understand your idiot comment now." Sam shook his head. He had known something had been going on, but this was a bit more than he had figured. It didn't really sound like something Steve would do, but then again the guy had surprised him plenty since he had met him.

"Even if they were together it would be a bad idea." Bucky watched as the cars drove by, their lights making solid lines at such a distance. White, red, and a blinding blue reminiscent of the energy stream of a weapon he once knew.

He hated being up there, he hated the lights, the shape of the buildings on the skyline. Every time he stepped out there it was like being frozen once again. He could feel the ice around him, see the little window in front of him. Out there he existed in a world that simultaneously stood still and moved with increasing speed. It was dizzying and harrowing, and it made him ill. Still, you could blow shit up and get blood all over the tower, but Stark whined if you smoked inside.

"Why, don't you think they would make good parents?" He could understand Bucky having a bit of a problem with a child out of wedlock; both he and Steve could be a bit old-fashioned at times. It was a bit surprising though that he would object to it altogether.

"That's not it at all. Hell, Steve would make a wonderful dad, and Darcy will someday make a good mother." He could see Darcy with a whole passel of little curly-haired, blue-eyed babes. She would take care of them just as she took care of him and Steve, loving them with everything she had in her. He could see it, but just not with Steve.

"You said Steve  _would_ , not that he  _will_  like with Darcy. Why?" He thought it was interesting that Bucky allowed that kind of slipup. Normally the man was so careful with everything he did. Sam was sure it was a throwback to when he had been under someone else's control; having to hide any trace of humanity that slipped through the cracks just to keep the pain away.

"Don't start all your analyzing shit with me." Bucky liked Sam well enough, but he sometimes didn't know when to shut it. Unlike Steve, who welcomed the man's words of insight, Bucky had had his brain picked apart quite enough for a lifetime, thank you very much.

"I just want to know why you seem to think Darcy will one day have a kid, but not Steve." Sam pushed back from the balcony's edge and took a seat on one of the many chairs that were littered about the place. He might not be afraid of heights, but normally he had his wings when he was that close to an edge.

"The life we live, it is not one we should be bringing children into. Every time we go out we risk dying and leaving our families uncared for." Bucky closed his eyes against the blurring lines of light below him, trying to shut out the feeling of the cold as it prickled at his skin. He wouldn't sleep again tonight, the past too close to the edge.

"True, but Tony is having a kid." Sam watched as Bucky's shoulders tensed, the slightest twitch to the fingers on his left hand. He would have to remember to inform Jarvis to keep an eye on him tonight. Bucky had been doing really great lately, but the stress of worrying about his two best friends could easily cause him to have a bit of a relapse.

"Yes, and it's irresponsible." Unable to push the dizziness away, Bucky moved back from the ledge and down into one of the chairs.

He wished there were stars in the skies, but New York was so polluted with light that he could barely make out any but the absolute brightest. When he had been younger, not much more than seven, he would sneak out when he was upset to lie on the roof of his building and just watch the stars. There was something about the little pin-points of light that calmed him.

"But you haven't been vocal about that." Sam tried not to laugh at the image that brought. No one but Pepper could ever tell Tony what to do.

"Steve and Darcy are my friends." Bucky pinched the bridge of his nose with his flesh hand, his fingers sliding down to press harshly into his closed eyes.

"You know, it's not your job to look after Steve anymore." He had seen this countless times before. Between partners and commanders. It was hard to break away from the habit and need to take care of someone.

He could only imagine how Bucky felt. The man had 'died' still trying to come to terms with the fact that his friend no longer needed the same kind of help from him. He had gone from protecting him from the world at large, to toting a gun and covering his back. Now that he had finally returned, body and mind, he found that his friend really didn't need him in that way at all. It most likely left him floundering and searching for his place in Steve's life.

"I told you not to fucking do that." Bucky's voice was more tired than angry. He had known that Sam wouldn't have been able to resist. Personally, he thought Steve put him up to it regularly.

"Hey man, I'm just saying. Steve's told me some of the stuff from before, and I know it can be hard…"

"Just fuck it off man. I'm not the one thinking about randomly having a kid, I'm not the one you should be doing this shit to." Bucky put up with Sam so far simply because he seemed stuck on the topic of Steve and Darcy. But if he thought he could use the conversation as a means to delve into his past he had another thing coming.

"I'm not sure I need to talk to them." Sure, the idea was kind of crazy, but it really wasn't something unheard of anymore.

"Are you kidding me?! They're not even together. I know people do this sort of thing a lot now, but babies complicate things." Bucky sat up straight in the chair, his head whipping around until he was glaring at the other man.

"They can also put things into perspective." This probably wasn't the best topic for conversation at the moment, but from what he had seen just from talking to Bucky, something needed done before he had a total relapse.

"You can't be telling me you're all for this?" Incredible! Had everyone he lived with lost their minds?!

"Maybe, I'd have to talk to them and get their sides to this, but yeah." Sam could have sat there and agreed with everything Bucky said, calming the man down by validating his worries, but Sam wasn't wired that way. He would challenge, he would play devil's advocate until the other man was forced to think.

"How is this at all a good idea?" He didn't understand how Sam could go along with Steve and Darcy's hair-brained scheme. He had seen and been part of the missions they regularly went on. He knew just as much as him how easy it would be for one of them to not make it home.

"Both you and Steve have had trouble with fully acclimating to the world you have found yourselves in…"

"I thought you said last week we've been doing fine." Bucky sat back in his chair again. He knew Sam's statement was true for Steve, but lately Bucky wasn't so sure about himself.

"In most aspects, yes. Still, you are both holding onto a past that you can never go back to, even if the grip is weak. Maybe Steve is thinking about children because he needs something to root himself in the here and now. It might not be the most ideal situation, but it could end up as a good one." Sam had thought at first that the Avengers would be that root for both men, but as time went on it became clear that while they believed in what they were doing, it didn't create the right kind of permanence they needed. Darcy could be that permanence for Steve.

"Please don't turn this around and think I'm going to start becoming broody." Bucky's eyes were wide as he looked across from him. He remembered before everything he had thought about children, a fleeting thought that one day he would find himself the right dame and he would settle down and have a family. Maybe he had thought about it with more seriousness, but all he could remember was a bit of an abstract picture in his mind. Even if he had, he knew it was no longer in the cards for him.

"God forbid. No, when the time comes you will find your own root, this is just Steve's." Sam knew it would be hard for the man, it never was for normal soldiers, just how much harder would it be for someone like Bucky?

"It's still irresponsible. What happens if one mission he doesn't come back?" Bucky hated to think about it, losing Steve, but things happened. He would be by Darcy's side in less than a heartbeat if it ever happened, but then again there was still the risk of it happening all over again with him.

"Then the rest of us take care of Darcy and the kid. Look, sure, what Steve does is a lot more dangerous than say an accountant, but there is always a risk of one or both of the parents dying. Everyone takes that risk, some win and some lose. At least for Darcy she has all of us if the worst ever happens." Sam remembered one of the soldiers he had met once. The man had survived active duty only to return home to his family and die two months later because of some teenaged drunk driver. Life could be cruel.

"Why did you have to be the one to notice, why couldn't it have been the other birdbrain?" At least with Hawkeye the guy would have just made some joke, told him to stuff it and asked him if he wanted to join him for pizza and beer.

"Because he never would've been looking for it as he thinks you and Darcy are together." Sam laughed, Clint really should have listened to him. He also shouldn't have made a side bet with him. Sam was going to enjoy collecting once everything got out.

"The fuck gave him that idea?" Bucky blinked over at Sam, his mouth hanging open. Sure, the two of them were pretty close, but it wasn't like they were making out in the common room.

"Man, are you kidding me? The three of you have this weird as shit thing going on. No one knows if she is with you, Steve, or both. Though everyone has their theories." Though at least most of those were pretty tame. Stark on the other hand loved to create elaborate scenarios, some that would leave Sam horrified for days. That man had some real problems.

"You mean everyone has their bets?" Bucky set his jaw and narrowed his eyes. There was never a time in the tower when there was less than five different bets going on.

"Same thing." Sam waved a hand in the air and ignored the glare from the other man.

"You do know that Steve is in love with Darcy?" Bucky wasn't sure how anyone could miss it, those two were so pathetic. Steve spent so much of his time at home making fucking goo-goo eyes at Darcy, and she blushed every time he sent her a smile. It was kind of sickening really.

"And she with him, but neither knows it, yes." Sam laughed lowly. It was like a bad rom-com watching those two dance around each other. The will they-won't they gave him a headache.

"This just gets more fucked up every day. I hope you're getting a good payout from all of this." There was a small part of him that wished he had known about the bet and had been able to place his own through Sam. It would have been funny to see everyone's faces come payday.

"Along with Pepper, Jane and Bruce, yes." He didn't mention the side bet with Clint, mainly because unlike the others it didn't involve money, just a platter of the only thing Clint actually knew how to make. Hawkeye's Special Double Chocolate Raspberry Cookies were somewhat legendary around the tower, and whomever had even just one protected it with their life.

"My God, the others don't think I'm with her do they?" Bucky groaned and ran a hand over his face. It was a nice thought, but he had known from the moment he met her that was never going to happen.

"No, just Thor and Clint. Tony and Nat both bet that she will end up with the both of you." Sam laughed a bit louder at the way Bucky sank down in his chair.

"Why the hell do I even live here?" He could have gotten a place for himself in Brooklyn a long time ago, but Steve had insisted on him staying with them in the tower. It was supposed to be good for him or something.

"Because you enjoy chaos, we all do or we wouldn't be here." Sam had thought many times about leaving and returning to DC. In the end though he knew it wouldn't be the same. He had grown used to the noise and the craziness. He figured he would probably miss it if he ever left. Of course, he did have to take a break from it all every now and then. They all did, even Stark.

"We are all masochists then." He joined in the laughter, the feeling of it vibrating through his chest allowing some of the dizziness to fade. The tightness that the rushing lights had caused was not gone, but it had loosened.

"Very probably." Sam didn't know anyone there that didn't routinely put themselves through some kind of hell. Whether it be getting shot at, forty-eight hours no sleep in the lab, or just putting up with those going on forty-eight hours no sleep in the lab. They were all a little messed up somehow.

"I still don't think it is a good idea for them to have a kid." Bucky's laughter died as the original topic popped back up in his head.

"It's not either of our place to tell them what to do." Sam leaned forward until he was resting his elbows on his knees. He knew it would take time for Bucky to realize the truth of what he said, but it was still stressful when he found himself sounding like a broken record.

"So I should just sit back and watch them make a mistake that could ruin their friendship?" It was incredible how no one ever listened to him. Steve hadn't when they were younger, hell he didn't even now. Darcy had never listened to him once. Actually if she ever did he thought he would probably fall over dead.

"Yes, if it is indeed a mistake it's theirs to make. Be there for them if things fall apart, be there to lend an ear or a shoulder if need be for any reason, but don't try to make this decision for them. With something this important, you trying to save their friendship could end up hurting yours instead."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit later than I wanted, but as you can see this one was filled with emotion and I didn't want to rush it.
> 
> The bit with the ultra-sound, if you've never seen one of the 3D you are missing out. They are incredible. My sister had one with my nephew and they are so cool….though I did pull a Clint and jokingly said that Merlyn looked like baby Voldemort, mainly just to annoy her.
> 
> And I don't know about you, but excited Daddy-to-be Tony is adorable!
> 
> Now, it might be awhile before I get another one out as classes start up next week, but I will try to get some done before spring break if I can.
> 
> Disclaimer:All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


	5. Degree Five: What Is Worth It?

  
  Steve leaned forward on the bench as he wrapped his knuckles. He didn’t always bother, and when he was in the kind of mood he was in now he found the extra bit of pain to be therapeutic. Only… only the last time he had returned upstairs with bloody hands and a couple of broken fingers he had been made to endure a two-hour long lecture from Darcy on how not to be an idiot.

  He tried to ignore the man at the other end of the bench, though it was a pretty hopeless endeavor as the man seemed to be staring a hole straight through the side of his head. He had a good idea what he wanted, or at least in part, but he wanted to be sure before he blurted anything out.             

  “Would you just say whatever it is you want to say and stop with the creepy staring.” He really hoped when Sam opened his mouth he would say anything other than about Darcy and a baby, but lately life wasn’t that kind to him. Actually, life seemed to find it amusing to screw him over.

  “What makes you think I want something? I could just be here for my own reasons, such as waiting on someone.” Sam pinched his lips together as he watched his friend. Before his talk with Bucky the thing between Steve and Darcy had been funny. It was a sort of entertainment watching the two dance around each other, both taking the same steps but never actually syncing up. Now though as he looked at the tight line of Steve’s shoulders and the heaviness in his eyes, Sam realized the amusement was over. 

  “You could be, but you’re staring at me. You never look at me like that unless you want something, so spill.” Any hope that Sam simply wanted to talk about the weather was lost when the man in question took a deep breath and turned to straddle the bench to face him.

  “Some rather interesting information has come to light…” Sam cut himself off as Steve dropped his head done between his legs, his tapped hands coming up to fist into the back of his hair. 

  “Damn Barnes, he told you didn’t he?” Of course he did, there was no one else. While Darcy liked Sam well enough their relationship was nowhere near close enough that she would say anything to him. So that left only one other person, and depending on what happened in the next few minutes that other person might find themselves with a black eye or two.

  “Told me what?” Sam leaned down over one leg so he could try and catch the other man’s eye. Only Steve shot up from the bench, throwing the roll of tape down into the opened bag on the floor at their feet. 

 “Sam…” Steve was tired of it, of the endless conversations between him and Darcy and him and Bucky. He didn’t need to add Sam to the list as well.  He had thought about leaving, just for awhile. He would stay in his old apartment in DC and maybe when he returned Darcy would have that asinine idea out of her head. The problem was that he didn’t think it would be out of his.  After his last talk… argument… with Darcy he realized just how far the idea had taken root in his mind, and if he was honest, his heart.

  “No, tell me, what do you think he told me?” Sam reached down for the roll of tape before standing from the bench. He slowly worked to wrap his knuckles the same as the other man had. 

  “That Darcy is trying to convince me to have a kid with her.” Alright, not too far from the truth. Still not the whole truth either. 

  “Ok, well he didn’t put it that way. He said you both were thinking about it, did he get it wrong?” Sam lifted a questioning brow at the man before him and tossed the roll of tape back into the bag. 

  “Yes, no… sort of.” Steve groaned and refused to look at his friend. Instead he worked to set up two punching bags, hefting them up on the hooks with a little more force than was actually needed.

  “Alright, which one is it? Are you thinking about having a child with Darcy or not?” Sam just leaned against the bag Steve had set up for him, content just to watch as the other man beat the shit out of the other one for a bit.

  “I’m thinking about it, yeah, but I’m not going to do it.” Steve jabbed at the bag a couple of times before letting loose and punching it hard. In his life he tried not to yell, to start too many needless arguments when sensible words would work better. Because of that he sometimes had a build up of anger and aggression he needed to work out. The gym was one of the only places he could do that, and at the moment Sam was ruining that.   

  “Why?” Sam didn’t flinch when Steve abruptly stopped and turned a sharp eye on him. He looked at him as though he had asked him why fire was hot.

  “What do you mean why? I’m sure Bucky has already lined out all the reasons why I would be an idiot for entertaining this.” Turning back to the bag, Steve gave it two swift punches before giving a bit of a side eye to Sam. “You going to actually hit that thing or you just want to cuddle it?”

  Sam shook his head with a laugh and turned to give his own bag a beating. Not as violent as Steve, but enough that he didn’t look too green next to the Super-Soldier. “Bucky has, but I want your reasons, and they sure as hell better be more convincing than his ‘irresponsible’ shit.”  

  “But it is…”

  “Shut the fuck up and start listening to yourself, ‘cause all I’m hearing are weak excuses based on fear. Now, tell me really why this is a bad idea.” Sam stopped the swinging of his bag and turned to look at Steve. He understood both him and Bucky, it was so easy to become fatalistic after everything they had been through. He had seen many soldiers allow that kind of attitude to rule their lives and ultimately become their downfall. It just didn’t bother him to see that in his friends, but scared the ever living shit out of him.       

  “We’re not married, hell we’re not even dating! I’m not about to put her through all the grief that will come with being an unwed mother.” Steve hoped that Sam would drop it at that. He hoped that he would accept that Steve had made his decision and just leave him alone. Of course he knew the other man better than that.

  “Ok, hold it right there. This is not the fucking forties, sure unwed mothers still get crap from people, but it isn’t like it used to be. She won’t be shunned from society. And if the whole not dating her bothers you, then change that.” Sam really couldn’t believe what he was hearing. My God! It would probably be easier to get Tony to admit he was wrong than get Steve to admit he wanted Darcy. Sam would’ve laughed if he wasn’t just so frustrated with the man. 

  “I can’t ask her out, she’s one of my best friends.” The abuse he was heaping upon the bag became worse and worse. What was he supposed to do, just go up to Darcy and ask her to dinner? It sounded easier than it actually was. And even if by some miracle Darcy did want to date him, what would happen when it all came falling apart? He wasn’t willing to lose Darcy, he couldn’t lose her. 

  “Some of the best relationships come from being friends first.” Sam gave the bag a couple more punches, mainly just for show, before he gave up on trying to keep up and went to sit on the bench and watch instead.

  “What is it with you and Bucky? Buck’s been trying to convince me that this is a bad idea, and now here you are telling me that I should date Darcy and what… that I should have a kid?” Steve hit the bag hard enough to bust it open, his breathing harsh as he took a step back. Why couldn’t everything have just stayed as they had been before that damned party? Life had been perfect/easy then.

  “I’m not saying either of those, all I want is you to be happy. If you don’t want a child, fine, tell Darcy and be done with it. But if fear is the only thing holding you back, if you really do want all of this, then take it. You might regret making the wrong decision, so really think on this. That is all I’m saying.” In his own life there were regrets, decisions made that could never be unmade that in the end turned out to be wrong. He never wanted that for his friends and teammates.

  “But you don’t think I’m an idiot if I chose to have a kid?” Steve looked down at Sam, unsure if he believed him or not.

  “Not if it is what you want. You and Darcy will have a huge support system here if that is what you chose.” Maybe that was a bit of an understatement actually. Sam knew the only person who wouldn’t be happy about the pair would be Bucky, but even then if the two actually went through with it he knew the man would never deny his friends.

  Sam stood up from the bench again, mostly full bottle of water in hand. He had come into the gym in order to talk with Steve and to let him know that he had his support if he and Darcy chose to go ahead with having a child. What he hadn’t expected, though he should’ve, was to find a confused Steve with the same fears as his friend. He understood those fears, but he also knew that if they let it rule them they would never be happy.

  He smacked the back of his hand against Steve’s arm as he passed. He doubted what he said changed his mind one way or the other, but hopefully it would make him think. 

  “Oh, and I know Barnes will be the godfather, but if you do have a kid I hope you know I better be Uncle Sam… um yeah on second thought…” 

* * *

 

  Jane looked over towards her intern turned friend. When she had taken Darcy on as her intern it had been out of sheer desperation, she needed someone but no one seemed to need her. At least until one quirky poli-sci major signed up out of her own desperation for credits.

  When she had met the younger woman she had figured it would last a month or two. Darcy had been a nice girl, but Jane had found beforehand that most people outside of her field found her strange. Hell, most in her field thought of her that way. Of course not that any of them were laughing now. Now, now they were eating so much crow that if Jane had been lesser of a person she would be smiling in glee… ok, so maybe she was a little.

Finding out that their personalities just clicked had been a wonderful surprise. Having Darcy stick with her after everything in New Mexico and London, well that was a miracle. One that she thanked God for every day.

 Now though, Jane watched as her friend worked quietly at her desk, imputing data into the computer without a word. This was strange for Darcy, as the woman normally ran a continuous commentary throughout the day. The fact that she was quiet was worrisome enough, but the fact that Darcy wasn’t even listening to music scared the shit out of her.

  “So, what is the matter, you’ve been acting really strange since the party?” Jane capped the dry-erase marker she had been using, but instead of placing it back on the little ledge of the board she fiddled around with it. Darcy had scolded her about that habit several times, mostly when she sent the younger woman out to buy more markers to replace the ones she had lost.

  “What?” Darcy’s head shot up from where she had been staring at the screen. Inputting data was nothing to write home about, not unless your parents needed a good sleeping aide, but that day she went at it as though it were the most interesting thing she had ever been involved with. It may or may not have had anything to do with one very stubborn super-soldier.

  “Come on Darce, I’ve known you for many years now, I know when something is bothering you. You haven’t been this quiet since you and Ian broke up.” And damn, if that hadn’t been the worst. Jane had never actually seen upset Darcy before. Sure, after everything in New Mexico and then the elves in London Darcy displayed a bit of distress, but the woman had always been able to hold it together. Not so after Ian threw his little ultimatum at her. Jane had been sorely tempted beat that boy severely with one of her machines. 

  “I’m fine, really I am.” About as fine as a drowning man. Darcy laughed under her breath. She really had felt like she was drowning when she had talked to Steve last. They were both drowning, both unable to pull the other one up. It was distressing.

  “I’m not convinced.” Jane tossed the marker Darcy’s way, thankfully missing the other woman by a full yard. She had learned her lesson the last time she had perfect aim and conked Darcy square between the eyes with a pen. Jane swore she still had a bump on the back of her head from the cell. 

  “Jane, seriously I’m fine. I just think… I just think I need a baby free girl’s night out. Booze, music, dancing, bitching about old boyfriends and current ones.” Darcy plastered an obviously fake smile across her face. She had, for just a moment, wanted to tell Jane everything. From the late night scotch and cake to the conversation/argument her and Steve had about why and why not it would be a good idea to have a baby together. For just a second she had thought to tell her and then she thought about how her friend would react. Which really she had no idea, it could be anything from a hearty congratulations to a scolding. And at the moment she wasn’t up for either of them.  

  “You got a current one to bitch about?” Jane lifted a brow and tried not to smile. She had noticed how strained things were between her and Steve lately and had hoped it was just the two of them figuring things out.

  “Oh My God, no! And don’t think I don’t know about that stupid pool.” Picking up a marker of her own, Darcy lobbed it at Jane, hitting her directly in the center of her chest. Sure, Darcy knew that bets were made throughout the tower, and she knew that sometimes they were about her. Hell, after her and Jane moved in Clint had started one about the color of her panties. Nat had been the one to win that one, and Darcy still wasn’t sure how the woman had done it. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to know anyway.

  “Hey, it’s been quiet around here, can’t blame us for trying to keep entertained.” Jane stuck her tongue out at her friend before plopping down into her desk chair.

  “Well, at least you didn’t bet that I would be with both of them.” A roll of her eyes revealed just what Darcy thought of that particular bet. Yeah, ok, so it would be hot… damn hot, but she couldn’t even make it happen with one of them, what was the chance she could get both?

  “I almost did. I mean if I was in your position.” Jane wiggled her brows and fanned herself with a hand. She might have Thor, but a girl can dream… and what good dreams those were too.

  “You?! You sweet Jane in a threesome?” Darcy was shocked, the older woman had always seemed so vanilla. When Thor had come into her life she had rejoiced for her friend, thinking maybe the thunder-god could spice things up for her. 

 “I’m not a prude or an innocent you know, I was a bit wild in my uni days.” She couldn’t help the blush that rose along her cheeks. There were a great many things that Darcy and the others didn’t know about her. Thor on the other hand, well, he had delighted in hearing all about her adventures before they had met and had even made a few suggestions about some things he thought she would like to do later.

  “Doggie style is not wild, Jane.” Darcy scoffed. She had once had a friend that thought doing it 69 on the couch had been wild. She had taken great pleasure in enlightening her otherwise.

  “Remind me to tell you about this one spring-break where my friends and I spent the entire time with this commune that believed clothing was the devil’s invention and took free love to a whole new level.” It had happened by accident, they had supposed to have been going to stay at a friend’s cousin’s house only to take the wrong turn and stumble upon a house filled with some of the most attractive people she had ever seen. Even thinking about it now, so many years later, made Jane turn bright red.

  “Remind me not to. Good God, Jane, I’m never going to get that image out of my head!” Darcy scrubbed at her eyes. So, she did have to give it to her friend. Still, she did not need to be thinking of her boss in that way.

  “Don’t infer that I’m a prude and I won’t regale you with my wild days… which really since I’ve been with Thor…”

  “NO! Nonononononononono! Just No!” Darcy shook her head and tried to push away from her desk. What she needed even less than visions of a younger Jane doing it, was the image of Jane now doing it with Thor. She would never be able to look either of them in the eye again.

  “Fine, then when did you want to do this girl’s night?” Jane spun her chair around once, her head flinging back as she turned so she could keep an eye on her friend. There was something else behind the girl’s night besides needing some baby free time, but Jane knew better than to push too hard. She was sure she would get it out of her eventually, if not on her own than with Nat’s help.

  “You free tonight? We could get Nat and go to this new club I’ve been hearing about, it’s supposed to be like a coffeehouse, jazz club and bar fusion thing.” Darcy felt a little bit bad about not inviting Pepper, but she hadn’t really lied about needing the baby free time. She needed a night, just a few hours without the reminder of what she might never get. Pepper would understand, or at the very least Darcy would make her those waffles she loved so much as an apology.  

  “Yeah, I’m free. As long as Nat is I am. Do you think we should invite Hill?” Jane swayed the chair side to side, her body starting to relax more than it probably should this early in the day. 

  “Um, no, Hill and I… yeah I may have pissed her off a couple of weeks ago and she is still threatening to snuff me.” Darcy visibly shivered as she thought about the other woman. She wasn’t the scariest person in the tower, that would be Nat, but no one wanted to be on the wrong side of Hill. Not even the Hulk. That woman had a disapproving face that would make any grandmother green with envy. 

  “Snuff?” Jane snorted, her hands coming up to press against her mouth. 

  “Shut up.” Darcy stuck her tongue out and wrinkled her nose. At least she hadn’t said ‘rubbed out,’ which could have been a possibility as she had been watching one too many bad gangster movies lately.  

  “Fine, fine, just get with Nat and give me the details. Right now though, we need to get this done so we can go out.” Sighing to herself, Jane stood and went back to her board. She loved her job, but just like anyone else she did love her downtime too. Problem was sometimes work had to come first.  

  “Ugh, I need to teach you the finer points of skiving off.” Darcy shook her head as she watched her boss search around the dry-erase board for her marker. One day she was just going to buy an entire truck load of those damn things and just cover the lab floor with them.  Dragging herself from her chair, she bent down and grabbed the marker and held it out to Jane.

  “Work first and play later, we are adults now.” Jane gave Darcy a bit of a smile and took the marker. Eventually she would hold on to one for more than an hour.

  “I’m still resentful of that.”

* * *

 

  Steve would readily admit that he was confused. Confused, frightened, and maybe even a little excited. He wanted to be angry at Darcy for pushing the issue, and he was at least a little, but he also felt something like hope at what she offered. 

 He knew why Bucky objected, they both feared the same thing. Growing up the way they did, neither of them wanted to put children of their own through that. Sure, things for him and Darcy would be different. If he died Darcy and his kid would want for nothing, not with Stark and the others around. Still, he didn’t like the idea of his child growing up without him.

  On the other hand the idea of becoming a father was alluring. He couldn’t deny that the things that Darcy said hadn’t gotten to him. He had dreamed the night before of waking up beside her, his arm draped over her hip so his hand rested against her full belly. He had watched as she grew larger, and as they both shared their joy with their friends. He had woken up feeling the lightest he had in a long while.

  Walking into the common room with his sketchbook in hand he stopped short at the sight of Pepper. The woman was lying back on one of the couches, feet and lower body covered by a throw blanket. He took a moment just to look at her. 

  She had always been an elegant woman, designer clothes and shoes, and the power and bravado needed to run SI. Now as she relaxed on the couch, a large bowl of popcorn and frosting set on her bulging belly, he noticed not one ounce of her grace and power seemed diminished.

  “You know you can come in, I wouldn’t mind a bit of company.” Pepper smiled wide at the man hovering just at the edge of the room.  

  Steve had been somewhat a surprise when he had come to live in the tower. Everyone learned of Steve Rogers, the Captain America, in school. Over time this persona of absolute perfection became attached to the man, the icon. It hadn’t taken but a week for that image to fade for Pepper. The icon had become the man, and someone she proudly called friend. 

  “Sorry, I was just surprised. I thought you’d be out at girl’s night.” Not really a wrong assumption, he thought, as Pepper regularly joined the other women on their nights out. 

  “No, tonight was sort of a baby-free night. I don’t blame them, I would probably do the same if the roles were reversed.” Actually, even though she was pregnant she still would’ve enjoyed her own baby-free night. She loved being pregnant, well maybe not the heartburn and cramps and such, but knowing she held her daughter there beneath her heart filled her with joy. But… well she did still miss the nights of drinking, dancing and laughter that came with being not pregnant.

  “Baby-free? I thought women liked doing all…” Noticing the raised brow of the woman on the couch he floundered with his words. He hadn’t been around too many pregnant women in his life, but he was pretty sure the look she was giving him wasn’t a good one. “…well you know, sitting around and talking baby stuff. Am I right, or am I just making a huge bastard of myself?” Steve cringed and whished he hadn’t finished his words. If Bucky had been there to hear him he probably would have hit him upside the head, hard. He was pretty sure he would later on if this conversation ever got back to him.

  “Normally I would say huge bastard, but you are forgiven if you get over here and rub my feet. Being this pregnant and still wearing those heels are playing hell on my feet.” Pepper lifted one leg up and wiggled her toes. She loved her shoes, but even before the extra weight and the swelling they would play hell with her feet after a long day. Normally she would bribe Tony for a foot rub, but Steve was there and he wouldn’t spend the entire time complaining.  

  “Sorry, I just thought… well with the way they’ve acted since you announced your pregnancy.” Steve shrugged his shoulders as he slipped down on the edge of the couch and took her feet. He willed the blush down as the woman made the most obscene noise when he pressed his thumb into the arch of her right foot.  When he had been younger he would do this for this mother. She had worked long hours on her feet at the ward and then spent all her time at home working to nurse him back to health. The least he could do was relieve some of the pressure on her feet. 

  “There might be a bit of baby-fever going on, there always is when someone is expecting, but on a whole it tends to get tiring when you’re not the one pregnant. They wanted a night to drink and dance, I would have just slowed them all down.” They had attempted a girl’s night when she had been a couple of months along, and she had ended up throwing up all over the table of their favorite bar. That had actually been how the media had gotten a hold of the information that she was pregnant. After that all girl’s nights took place in the tower.

  “May… may I ask you a question?” Steve refused to look up, and instead kept his eyes on what he was doing. He probably should keep his mouth shut, but Pepper always had a way of comforting him enough that he let down his guard.

  “Of course, what’s on your mind?” After seeing the pink rising in Steve’s cheeks, Pepper made sure to hold back the moans. But by God, that man had magic hands. Large, warm, and strong, and the man knew just how much pressure to use. Damn, Darcy would be a lucky woman if only the two would stop being stupid.

  “Do you ever worry about what would happen if Tony just didn’t come back one day?” Steve held his breath as Pepper went completely still. That may not have come out like he had planned it to.

  “Ok, now are we talking about Tony reverting to his old ways, or are we talking about him dying?” She doubted there was anything going on with Tony, she would’ve known. Still, there had to be a reason for Steve to bring it up.

  “The last one, Tony may be an idiot sometimes, but he’s not stupid. He would never mess things up with you.” Steve laughed nervously. Tony flirted a lot, but it was mostly for show. Everyone could see how much he loved Pepper. That man was not going anywhere.

  “Of course I worry, I would be insane not to. He goes out there fighting aliens and evil scientists, and generally doing stupid stuff.” Pepper worried so much that she had developed a nervous tic. Not that she would ever ask him to stop. She knew there was more to the Iron Man thing than the show and fanfare. He generally cared about people, even if he acted differently. He also still felt guilt at what his company had done and all the lives lost at SI’s hands.

  “Doesn’t it scare you that your daughter could end up never knowing her father?” Steve leaned back against the couch, Pepper’s feet still resting in his lap. He continued to manipulate the muscles of her arch, but his eyes now rested on her own.  

  “Steve, is there a point to this or are you just trying to stress out a pregnant woman?” Pepper sat up a little, a few tears clinging to the edge of her eyes. One thing she hated about being pregnant was the hormones. One minute she was laughing away at some joke and the next she was either angry or sad about something completely different. 

  “Oh, shit, sorry! I didn’t mean…” Steve held up his hands and tried to backtrack on what he was saying. The last thing he wanted to do was upset Pepper. One, because she was his friend, but two because Tony would try to kill him.

  “Calm down, Steve, and just tell me what all this is about.” Pepper pushed the tears back, unwilling to break down when her friend so obviously needed to talk. Not that she had the slightest idea what it could be about with his current line of inquiry. 

  “I… there is a chance that I could, well maybe, possibly become a father.” Yeah, that came out smooth and calm, right. 

  “Hold on a minute, I didn’t even know you were dating anyone.” What the hell was going on? Steve never went anywhere and surely if he and Darcy were actually together everyone would already know. It wasn’t impossible that they were together or he was with someone else, but at that point it would be surprising. 

  “I’m not, it isn’t like what you’re thinking, I didn’t get a girl pregnant.” Of that he had been very careful. Sure, there were a few times when things got too heated, but nothing thankfully came of it. 

  “Yet?” Pepper sat up fully at that. She wasn’t sure just what he was saying, or how she felt about it. If Steve was with some other woman, Darcy… well, things might end up hard for awhile.

  “Yet. The thing is I think that I really do want a child, but I’m worried. I grew up without my father, and then my mother died. I don’t want to leave my child and its mother alone if something should go wrong.” After he had woken up he had decided to simply shut himself off from the world. He hadn’t wanted to chance leaving friends and loved ones again and hurting them. His plan hadn’t worked and now he had more friends than he knew what to do with. He still feared leaving them heartbroken, but none more so than Darcy. Add a child to that… well that would be what all their arguments had been about.

  “So you should live your life miserable because of something that might or might not happen?” Taking in a breath Pepper took a moment to really look at her friend. She loved him and wanted the best for him, even if it wasn’t with Darcy. 

  “That is not what I…” He felt as though she had just smacked him across the face. He had stopped purposely making choices that would make his life miserable. Which was something he had done in the beginning. Survivor’s Guilt they had called it.          

  “I know what it is like to deal with those kinds of worries, Steve. You cannot imagine the amount of times I’ve laid awake at night worrying over all the what-ifs involved in loving Tony. I almost left him several times before we were even together.” Pepper laughed at herself. Every time she had tried to leave, Tony had done something or looked a certain way and she realized that she had just been blowing hot air. She could no more leave Tony than she could stop breathing.

  “Then why are you still with him?” How could someone put themselves through so much worry and stress? Steve felt as though it would tear someone apart.

  “Because it is worth it. I love him and I love my daughter, and even if he died tomorrow I could never find it in me to regret a day I spent with him.” Pepper knew to regret it would be to make the time they spent together now absolutely worthless, and that was something she would never do.  

 “So, that is it, it’s just worth it?” Steve felt small compared to the woman next to him. There was just something about her confidence, about her absolute belief in herself and her relationship, that made him want to curl up next to her. He had never told her, but she reminded him so much of his mother. She was strong and strong-headed, she knew what she wanted and how to get it. She also knew how to get through his thick skull, something not even Bucky could do. 

  “Tell me, before the serum when you were just this little ninety-pound weakling, did the fear of dying in war prevent you from enlisting?” Pepper knew there was really no need for asking, the answer was right there in his eyes. Still she needed to make him understand, and this was the best way she figured.

  “No.” Steve’s voice may have been a bit harsher than he had planned, but anyone who knew his history would know how silly that question was.

  “Did you fear dying though?” Pepper held back the laugh that threatened to bubble up as she watched the play by play of Steve’s face. His nose crinkled up and he flung his head back a little as though she had slapped him. It was funny just how indignant he looked at her question.  

  “Of course I did. I wanted to help my country, I didn’t have a death-wish.” Back when he had first enlisted he had met men that claimed no fear in the face of war and death. But in the end they all feared it. He was no different.     

 “Well then, if you thought going to war was worth possibly dying, why is your happiness not worth the risk?” This was something that Pepper had seen a lot of since Tony opened the doors of the tower to the team. The people liked to paint their super-heroes as objects of perfection; people with little to no flaws, with the perfect life. While on the other hand the media could present them as amoral and flawed more than the devil. The truth was somewhere in the middle. They were all good people, some had done some very bad things or had been forced to, and in the end they were just trying to atone for their sins. 

  Steve was no different, even if he claimed to be. He felt guilty for surviving, for leaving Peggy and the others behind. He felt responsible for what happened to Bucky, as well as what had happened in DC those couple of years ago. Because of this she had seen him work himself harder and harder as though he could make up for everything. For Steve, being Captain America was his sin. 

  “…I…” Steve blinked. Sam and Darcy had both said similar things to him, but never so bluntly or clearly. 

  “Think about it, Steve. And while you think about it, go get me that pint of butter pecan in the freezer.” Pepper poked her toe into Steve’s thigh, and finally allowed her smile to bloom. She had given him enough to think about, she didn’t want to tire him out. Tony always warned her about scolding too much, he claimed that one day his head would just explode.

  Steve shook his head in amusement as he stood up and headed into the kitchen. He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting when he had asked her that question, that the worry was too much or that she regretted everything. Though maybe he was hoping to hear just what she had said. Maybe he had been hoping for a bit of his mother and the advice she would have given him.  

  He still worried about Darcy and what this would mean when it came to their friendship. He couldn’t help it, not when it could have such devastating consequences. But the thing was, after talking with Pepper, he wasn’t as reluctant to the idea as he had been before. Whether that was a good thing or not remained to be seen.

* * *

 

 

  The club wasn’t anything like Darcy had imagined it to be. It wasn’t wholly bad, the music was good, and the drinks were not bad either. The problem was the clientele, it seemed as though Roxie-Moxie was a bit of a hipster hangout. One thing Darcy had learned was that hipsters and her just didn’t get along.

  “So, what made you need a baby-free night?” Jane sipped slowly on her Georgia Peach, a drink Darcy had gotten her hooked on during their second girl’s night. Well, it had pretty much been either that or the rest of the bottle of Grappa they had drank the weekend before. Jane would never again touch anything even looking or sounding like that devil’s drink. She wasn’t sure what they had gotten up to that night, only that they had managed to alienate several people in the town in one night.

  “Everyone just talks about the baby… and… well…” Darcy shrugged, not really sure how to answer without telling the whole truth. Something she knew Nat had possibly cottoned on to as she was giving her the scariest look. It wasn’t so much the, “You’re an offence to the human race and I shall now rid the world of you and all who know you,” but it was at least the, “I know you are lying and I shall find out and make your life and the life of your children miserable.” Darcy hated that look.  

  “Should we pretend that you aren’t just as, if not more, excited about this child than Tony? Because if I remember right you keep buying and making baby items.” Nat raised a brow at her friend. When Tony and Pepper had announced their upcoming parenthood, Darcy had jumped up bouncing and clapping like some teenaged girl. Since then Darcy had been providing gift after gift for the kid. You would have thought she was the one pregnant.

  “See! I needed a baby-free night before I start singing lullabies all day.” Alright, so she already did that. She had caught herself humming the lullaby her mother used to sing her; while cooking breakfast, in the shower, or imputing data. It was kind of getting out of hand. 

  “Fine, no baby-talk then. How about boy-talk?” Jane wiggled her eyebrows again, only to get hit with a straw by Darcy. 

  “What?” Why, why oh why did she think this was a good idea? She was going to track down whichever one started that stupid bet and she was going to taze them so hard in the balls.

  “What I think she is getting at is what is going on with you and the Soldier Boys.” Nat had yet to interrogate any of the three involved, or not involved as the case may be, and she wasn’t going to waste a perfect opportunity to do so now. Darcy at least would be the easiest the break.   

  “Which she already knows the answer to since I told her this morning.” Darcy scowled over at her boss, wishing she didn’t like her drink so much so she could just dump it on the woman’s head.

  “Oh?” It was a little annoying that the scientist had gotten to her before she did, still she figured she could use this to her advantage.  

  “Don’t play innocent with me. For your information you won’t be making any money off me as I’m not with both of them, hell I’m not even with one.” Yeah, there was a hint of bitterness in that. Darcy cringed and looked over at Nat hoping that the woman hadn’t caught on to it. Though of course Darcy would never be that lucky, the raised brow and pursed lip pretty much was evidence enough that she had.

  “Pity, James does this thing with his tongue and metal hand that will leave you seeing stars. The only time in my life I’ve actually fainted.” A smile crept up one corner of Nat’s mouth as she thought back to the days when the two of them had a future. Back before they were caught and punished. She missed James, but looking back on it now she figured it was for the best. She had her own life now and she knew James was working on building one for himself.

  “What the fuck is it with you two and telling me about your sex lives?!” Darcy huffed and set her glass down on the table, her fingers moving to ring around the edge as she looked out of the corner of her eye at Nat. “Though seriously? Does he do it separately or is it some kind of synchronized maneuver?”

  “Synchronized. He also has the strength to hold you completely in midair. I figure if you mix that with Steve’s strength a girl probably wouldn’t ever leave the bedroom.” Nat couldn’t say she hadn’t thought about it. Damn, there had been a couple of times she had even thought about seducing Steve, just to take the edge off. 

  “Ok, are you rooting for me with those two just because you want to live vicariously through me?” Not that she would blame her. Hell, if the positions had been reversed she would be just as eager to know a few details. Not that her friends weren’t still annoying, and she wished they would shut up. 

  “Honey, if I wanted both of them in my bed I would have them.” Nat sat back with a smug little grin on her face. 

  “I’m not even going to question that because I’m sure you’re correct.” Darcy downed the rest of the drink in her hand, her eyes on anything else but the woman across from her. Even though Nat was her friend, she still delighted in sniffing out everyone’s secrets. Sometimes Darcy thought it was more out of boredom than anything. 

  “We both know she’s correct. She could easily have the both of us if she wanted, you can’t deny that.” Jane laughed to herself as she waved down one of the wandering waitresses.  

  When they had first started inviting Pepper and Nat out on girl’s night Tony had made several off color comments about their activities. That in itself wasn’t so much funny as annoying, but what was funny was how Thor took it. Apparently it wasn’t unheard of on Asgard for the female warriors to sometimes engage in… well, intimate games before battle. He said those who participated in such activities believed it helped create a stronger bond. Thor of course had thought the same tradition existed on Earth and sent them off with well wishes and a few pointers on how to please his fair Lady Jane.       

  “So true. Now, can we stop talking about sex because I know both of you are getting it, and I’m not.” And such a waste it was, she thought. Darcy had a lot to offer… a lot more than just boobs too, unlike what so many guys she’d met thought. 

  “You could be.” Nat wasn’t just talking about both of the soldier boys together. She could most likely have both or either one on their own. She was also pretty sure she caught both Bruce and Rhodes checking her out. 

  “Yeah, so we are not getting any further into this topic than we already have.” Why were they focusing on her nonexistent sex-life when one of them was dating the fucking god of thunder and the other was the goddess of sex herself?  

 “Spoilsport.” Jane stuck her tongue out at Darcy. It wasn’t that they wanted details… much… but they just wanted their friend to be happy.  

  Darcy did a lot for everyone in the tower, sacrificing so much for staying with them. Jane would admit to feeling a bit guilty about then Ian situation. She had dragged Darcy into everything and she had been the reason why they moved back to the states. She didn’t want to see her friend end up bitter and alone, not when she needn’t be.

 “Alright, mind telling me why Hill asked if she could kill you without inciting the wrath of the Avengers?” Nat tipped her glass towards Darcy. That hadn’t been the first time Hill had asked that kind of question, but it normally it dealt with Tony, and a few times with James. Darcy and Hill had never been close friends, but Nat had thought they at least got along pretty well. 

  “Gah! You would think I’d killed a loved one or something!” Darcy rolled her eyes, Hill was maybe taking the whole thing a bit too far. Sure, she probably should have kept her mouth shut, but that was no reason to harm her.

  “What did you do, because I saw her giving you death-ray-eyes when we were leaving?” Jane cocked her head to the side as she looked at the woman next to her. Hill had always been a little closer to Pepper and Nat, but she was friendly enough with everyone else. So it was a little unnerving to see her direct her angry face at Darcy.  

  “I might have, sort of, maybe undermined her authority in front of a new employee.” Darcy cringed back from the wide-eyed looks of disbelief she was receiving from both her friends. Ok, so when she said it like that it sounded way worse. 

  “Do you have a death-wish?” Nat knew Darcy could be mouthy, she had seen her mouth off at the Hulk. But everyone knew there were lines one didn’t cross, this was one of them.  

  “No, but she was being a huge bitch and the girl was practically in tears all because she got lost in the tower.” Darcy bit her lip. So, that might not have been the whole story. The girl had gotten lost in an off-limits section of the tower, and might have been somewhere where she shouldn’t have been, but considering the girl was new she didn’t think that deserved having a gun pointed at her.

  “What exactly did you do?” Jane knew Hill could be a bit of a hard-ass, she had heard several of the lab assistants comment about that. Still, she had never seen the woman fly off the handle for nothing.

  “I reminded her that she wasn’t the one in charge anymore and that Tony has put in effect a three strike rule before reprimanding employees. And of course as it had only been the girl’s second day…” …and maybe she had placed her hand on Hill’s gun and forcefully pushed it down. She had gotten a rather long lecture after the girl had rushed out about security and potential Hydra agents.    
  “No wonder she was practically begging me to allow her to at least maim you. She never even liked it when Fury would do stuff like that. This one time he reamed her over a failed mission and she went on to destroy the training room. Took months to remove all the bullets.” Nat shook her head. Hill was a friend of hers, but she sometimes had a problem with anger.

  “She can’t touch me though… right?” Darcy thought that surely being best friends with both Captain America and the Winter Soldier, as well as Shield-Sister to Thor would afford her some kind of protection.

  “Not officially…” Nat shrugged her shoulders and watched as Darcy turned white as a sheet.

  “Fuck, I am so going to need to get drunk. Very, very drunk.” 

 


	6. Degree Six: Not So Random

Steve Rogers was many things: kind, sarcastic, strong, funny, and loyal, but one thing he had never been was a coward. He had jumped in head first when given the chance to go to war. Many men would have thought twice before allowing themselves to be used as an experiment. Not Steve though, no he hopped right up in that machine with only a lame joke to give away his nervousness. So to say his behavior with Darcy had been odd would be an understatement. It was also something he decided needed to be fixed right away.

It had been Pepper's words the night before that had helped him make up his mind. Well mostly make up his mind. There was still one issue he needed to discuss with Darcy. It was this reason he was standing outside of Darcy's door, hand raised but still hesitating to knock.

"Captain Rogers, Ms. Lewis wishes for me to inform you that the door is unlocked for whenever you find your balls." Jarvis's voice filtered through the hidden speakers of the hallway. There was a certain lilt to the AI's voice that made him sound amused at Darcy's choice in words.

"How did she even know I was out here?" Steve blinked at the door, his hand falling slowly back down to his side. Well this was going swingingly so far. He rolled his eyes at his thoughts, he knew it wouldn't be easy. That was the thing when it came to them, nothing was ever easy between them.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but Ms. Lewis has instructed me to inform her of any approaching visitors this morning." Jarvis sounded anything but sorry, in fact the amusement was even more present in his voice.

"Is she alright, JARVIS?" Steve felt his heart pick up speed. Darcy normally had an open door policy, any and all were welcome to visit, mostly if they brought gifts of the chocolate kind. The only time Steve could remember her doing this was when she had gotten word that her childhood best friend had died.

"I believe Ms. Lewis may have imbibed more than her limit of alcohol last night and is experiencing a hangover."

Steve sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Hungover Darcy was never a pretty sight, normally she came with flying pillows and more than normal snark. "Thank you, JARVIS."

"You are welcome, Sir. Shall I inform her on whether or not you plan to enter her quarters?" The amusement left Jarvis's voice, replaced once again with his calm professionalism.

"Um, no thank you, that won't be necessary." He really didn't want to give her the chance to change her mind and lock the door.

Taking a breath, Steve turned the nob and stepped into the room. The lights were low, creating a yellow haze. It was a bit dizzying, and he wondered if it was actually more hindering than helpful right now.

Darcy was curled up on her couch, not that anyone would have been able to tell from the pile of blankets that covered the thing. Steve figured she must have simply burrowed in the mountain of bedding like an animal, because there was no way she could have gotten them that high any other way.

"Oh look, Captain America finally realized he has balls! Nice for you to come and visit." Darcy stuck her nose out from under her blankets, just enough so she could breathe. She didn't remember too much about the night before. It seemed though that she must have drank every last drop in that forsaken place. She was going to beat the crap out of her friends for allowing her to drink that much.

"You've always been a bitchy hungover." Steve sat down by where he figured Darcy's head was, one arm flung along the back of the couch. He laughed lowly as he felt movement beside him and looked down to find a single hand by his thigh giving him the bird.

"Yeah, well I'm a fun drunk so it evens out." Darcy shifted a bit under her blanket mountain trying to get comfortable. She had to swallow a few times just to keep from getting sick, though at this point she was probably just putting off the inevitable.

"Maybe I should come back later?" Steve patted the hand beside his leg, smiling when Darcy quickly grasped it before he could stand. He gave it a squeeze and placed their joined hands in his lap.

"No, no, I'm sorry. It's just that my head hurts and I'm really stressed out with all this baby stuff, ya know?" Realizing that the hot air beneath the blankets was making her stomach worse, she shifted enough so she could stick her head out and set it beside her hand on Steve's lap.

She sighed when Steve switched his hold on her hand with his other and used his newly freed one to run through her hair. It made her stomach flip to think about the fact that even when in the middle of an argument he still made sure to take care of her.

"Yeah, look that is what I've come here to talk about." Steve traced the shell of Darcy's ear with his finger before going back to smoothing down her hair. He found himself calmed by the easy way she curled against him. He was nervous enough about the conversation, he wasn't sure how he would do it if they were physically at odds with each other.

"Putting your foot down, are you?" Darcy gave a bitter laugh, turned on her back, and looked up to see Steve looking down at her with the softest expression she had ever seen on his face.

"No, I just think we should actually talk about this like adults. No arguments, no whining, and none of my freaking out." Steve smiled at her and shook his head, his hand curling around to trace along her jaw as he spoke. He ended with softly bopping the tip of her nose, happy to see her smile back at him.

"You promise?" Darcy reached out and took his other hand, and curled his arms around her as she sat up fully so she could lean against his chest.

"I promise." He pressed a quick kiss to her hair, holding her close. So far things were going better than he had thought they would. Though he still had yet to get to the point of his visit. How that bit went remained to be seen.

"What made you change your mind?" Darcy played with Steve's fingers, running the pads of her own over the rugged edges of his nails. She sighed when she saw the state of them. He never paid that much attention to his nails, never taking the time to smooth out the chips and splits caused by his work. She would have to drag him over one night so she could give him a manicure… Bucky too.

"I had a bit of a talk with Pepper last night while you were out." Steve removed his fingers from her grasp, holding her hands down on her lap with one of his. The last time she had noticed his cracked nails she had offered to buff them up. He ended up with his nails painted with little American flags.

"So, does this mean you are willing to try?" Darcy would have to remember to thank Pepper, like huge batches of triple chocolate cookie kind of thank her. Pepper had always been the voice of reason around the tower, even if she was dating Tony... willingly.

"Not exactly, it means I'm willing to talk about trying." Steve waited a breath before looking down at the woman in his arms. He had expected her to get angry with him, instead she just looked thoughtful.

"Good enough at this point." She sighed, but still smiled. Sure, he hadn't actually agreed, but beforehand he refused to even think about her proposal. The fact that he was willing to talk about it was a win in her book. A small win, but a win nonetheless.

Steve let go of Darcy's hands, moving her away enough so he could sit on the edge of the couch. He angled his body so he could look at her, and once again caught her hands in his. He was anything but a prude, but somehow the coming conversation made him nervous.

"It's just, sex complicates things in a friendship and I care about you too much to screw up our friendship for this." Not that he had never thought about it, but he was sure Darcy wanted none of that from him and he valued her too much to loose her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, sex? What the hell gave you the idea that we would be having sex?" Darcy pulled back and stood from the couch. She stood there gaping at Steve, unsure if she should laugh or not. She was pretty sure she had never mention anything about sex.

"Um, Darcy, you do know how babies are made right?" He lifted a single brow at his friend. He was mostly kidding, because he knew she was no virgin, and yet some of the youth he had met… well let's just say that sex education needed to be reformed in American. Badly.

"What?! Of course I know, but there are other ways." Darcy stood there waiting for Steve to realize what she was talking about. When he just sat there silent she pinched her nose. "Artificial insemination?"

"You're suggesting-"

"Shit, it seems stupid, but sometimes I forget you're from the forties. Ok, look, there have been many advances in fertility treatments since the turkey baster days." Gah, why hadn't she thought of that? Steve had been doing a lot of studying since he was thawed, but it never occurred to her that he would never had thought to look up advancements in fertility treatments. So wonder the poor boy had been freaking out so bad.

"But-"

"Please don't tell me you bought into all of that 'if God wanted you to have a child he would have given you one' crap that the church tried to sell?" Shit, she really didn't think he did, he was an intelligent man. Still, he did cling to a few of his old-fashioned values.

"If you would give me the chance to actually talk." Steve rolled his eyes, sometimes getting a word in edgewise with this woman was impossible. "No, I did not buy into that. It just never occurred to me that there would any other way. Before… before it wasn't something that people really talked about. And those that did..." Steve sighed and flopped back on the couch in a slump.

"There was a woman I met during the USO tour, Maddie. We had stopped over for the night at the hotel she owned with her husband. Maddie had been working the front desk when she passed out. I learned later on from one of the girls that she had gone through with a procedure to help her get pregnant. She had gotten pregnant, but she had ended up with an infection that had caused a miscarry and nearly killed her." He remembered when he had heard from the girls what had happened. He had never thought much about what getting pregnant meant for women, he never thought he would have to as he didn't figure he would ever have children.

"I'm not saying there are no risks involved, there always is. The thing is since you've been frozen we've learned a lot about fertility. There can be problems on both sides, some women can even be allergic to sperm. These treatments have helped many people have children they otherwise wouldn't've been able to have.

"Don't worry, Steve, this is safe for both the mother and the baby." Darcy sat back down on the couch, her hand going to rest on his thigh. She was a little shaken up by his story, but she knew things were much different than they had been when he was younger. There were more precautions taken, better ways of handling things.

"That kind of shoots down my last argument then doesn't it?" Steve laughed a bit. He had thought all this time Darcy had been simply flying by the seat of her pants, but by the calm way she had explained everything he had a pretty good feelings she had more of a plan than he realized. It was reassuring and frightening at the same time.

"Kind of. So, does this mean you want to do it?" She tried not to get her hopes up, just because he was talking about it didn't mean he would agree. Still, she figured she was several steps closer.

"I don't know, Darce, maybe. We have a lot we need to discuss before we make a final decision: how we are going to handle raising the child, what is to be done if something should happen to me-"

"And we will talk about it. How about I whip up something to eat and we can talk?" She patted his thigh before getting up and heading for the kitchen. Her head still hurt, but she could probably manage grilled cheeses and canned soup. Not the best, but something she figured she wouldn't burn. Cooking was never a sure thing when she was hungover.

"Actually, I want to go and… do… something beforehand. How about tonight, we'll get takeout and discuss it then?" He stood from the couch, giving what he hoped was an apologetic and not uncomfortable smile. He hadn't known what the outcome of the conversation would be, but he had planned ahead in case things went a certain way.

"Alright." Darcy stood awkwardly at the threshold of her kitchen, watching as Steve made his way to the door. "And, Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. I know I've probably come across as insane to you lately, but it's just because I really want this. I'm not sure I've ever wanted anything in my life so much as this." Darcy felt like she should apologize for how she had been acting lately, but before she could say or do anything else Steve was gathering her up in a hug.

"Not insane, just determined. I'll see you tonight." Steve kissed her forehead before letting her go and leaving.

Darcy leaned against the doorframe, a smile smile on her lips and a couple of tears trailing from her eyes. For the first time she felt as though she had hope. Maybe things would finally work out.

* * *

Steve wasn't actually sure what he was doing. He probably shouldn't have agreed, or well sort of agreed, to this scheme of Darcy's. It was insane, to think it anywhere near a good idea to have a baby. Still, the more he thought about it the more he wanted it. Not just the child, but a chance at some sort of normal life. He was proud at what he did as the Captain, but there were times when he wanted to be nothing more than an average man.

Sadly, an average man would not be walking into the lab of their friend and team member to ask the favor that Steve was about to. Hell, until the night before he didn't think he would be either.

"Hey, Steve, bored again?" Bruce looked up from his tablet to find the man in question standing just inside of his lab office. Steve often came by when things were quiet, they would talk about whatever research Bruce was doing or just complain about Tony. Mostly it was the complaining though.

"Hey. No, I…" Steve could feel a blush trying to work its way up his neck. Hoping that Bruce wouldn't notice, he simply gave the other man a smile that he was pretty sure looked awkward. And probably kind of painful.

"Something the matter?" Bruce slipped his glasses from his nose, folded them up and stuck them in his pocket. He held in a sigh as he watched the awkward display in front of him. Ever since Tony made mention of his "therapy" sessions, others had thought him a good sounding board for their problems.

It wasn't that he didn't want to help, or that he wouldn't lend an ear if any of his teammates and friends needed it. The thing was he really didn't have the right temperament for it. He had hoped when Sam moved in that he would replace him as the Agony Aunt of the group, but he guessed there must have just been something about him that relaxed his friends. Not that he knew what that could be.

"No… yes… well not really, but…" Steve shook his head in wonder at himself. He knew he was being ridiculous, still there was just something about asking a friend to do this that was weird.

"Steve, take a breath and start over." Bruce wondered if he was going to have to call Sam up to the labs. He had seen many of his teammates go through attacks, hell he had gone through many himself. Steve's were normally more low-key than the rest of them, at least the ones that happened outside of his rooms. Right now Bruce couldn't figure if he was having problems or not.

"Sorry. Um, I was just wondering if you know the results of the tests that had been done on my… on the semen samples I had given?" Yeah, that had probably had sounded as weird as he thought they did. He had never once even asked about the blood samples that had been taken after he thawed, to just suddenly ask about semen… yeah, weird and awkward.

"Ooook, so that wasn't what I was expecting. Is there any reason for wanting to know?" Bruce fought the urge to blink stupidly at Steve. Out of everything he could have imagined the other man asking him, this was probably the last thing he expected. Though it did explain his strange behaviour.

"I need to know if there is any residual effect from the serum." Tests had been done on his blood, both before and after being frozen, but as far as he knew nothing negative came back. It was only after he was thawed that he was asked to provide semen samples, though he had never asked for the results of those. He hadn't seen any reason to at the time, he hadn't planned on ever having kids after everything.

"Oh, um, I actually don't know. I mean I wasn't involved in any of the tests on the blood or semen samples. From what I've read the experiments focused mainly on seeing if the samples would be able to produce a viable serum. They had all been inconclusive if that helps at all." Bruce wasn't lying, though he had read a few of the reports about the tests. What he said about replicating the serum had been true, what he hadn't said though was Hydra's plan on using the sperm in fertility experiments. He didn't figure Steve would be too happy about that.

"Makes me feel a little better, but that wasn't what why I was asking." It hadn't really crossed his mind that his semen could be used in recreating the serum, but to know that it hadn't been viable for that did make him feel better.

"Ok, you are going to have to give me more to go on here, a little context at least." It felt a little like talking to Tony; the man had the tendency to think everyone just automatically understood whatever he was talking about.

"I want to know if it is safe." Steve had thought over and over if he should confide in Bruce, he knew the man would've keep his and Darcy's secret. The thing was that Darcy and him hadn't discussed what they would tell the others. It was bad enough that both Bucky and Sam knew. In the end he figured Bruce didn't need to actually know the details of the situation.

"Safe, safe as in…. oh, OH! Um, well that I couldn't tell you." Again Bruce fought off the blinking, and the gaped mouth. It wasn't that Steve's request was weird, it was actually pretty reasonable and responsible. That didn't stop the situation from being awkward though.

"Is it something you could test, here in the lab I mean?" He had hoped that the tests conducted by Shield would've been enough, it was strange enough to just ask Bruce for the information, it was even stranger to ask him to do the tests himself.

"Yeah, of course. I'll need a new sample though." Bruce bit down on his lips to keep from laughing at the bright blush that lit up Steve's cheeks. His friend and teammate was far from prudish; he had seen and heard some of the things that him, Darcy and Bucky did. Still, he knew the conversation would be embarrassing for anyone. Well, anyone but Tony.

"Good, good." Steve rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, trying to act as though he had this conversation daily.

"Anything else you want me to find out?" Bruce would be lying if he said that he wasn't curious about the sudden need Steve had for such results, but unlike certain others in the tower he respected the privacy of others.

Groaning to himself, Bruce thought about that certain other and what would happen should he find out about Steve's request. He was pretty sure it would end up with either Steve or Bucky dismembering Stark. Or possibly Darcy following through on her daily threat to tase Tony in the balls.

"I just… I need to know if it is safe, that if I… well that I won't end up hurting a woman, or you know if it is viable for conceiving. That any children I might have in the future won't end up disfigured or anything. Could you do that?" It scared him to think that the serum that gave him so much could end up causing more harm than good. As far as he knew no tests had been run on the effect on offspring.

"I should, yeah. When do you want to do this?" Bruce thought about telling him the tests that Hydra had run, but the files hadn't gone into anymore detail than the possible uses of the samples being used in a breeding program. He wasn't sure if the tests had been inconclusive or if everything happened before the tests could actually be done. Either way, he figured his first instinct to conceal that knowledge was probably for the best.

"Now, if you're not busy." Steve figured it could probably wait, but thinking about the talk with Darcy later he figured it might be better to gets things all squared away as quickly as possible.

"I'm not doing anything that can't be put on the back burner for a while." Standing up, Bruce made his way over to the cabinets on the other side of the room. While such tests weren't normal fare in his lab, he at least was prepared.

"How long will the results take?" He didn't want to rush the man, but he knew Darcy would want to do more than just talk about talking about having a baby. He was beginning to think he should have done this before telling her.

"Depends actually, but I wouldn't think too long, not with all this equipment. Tony has stuff in this lab I've never even seen before coming here." Bruce knew that scientists all over were vying for a job with SI. Stark had all the cool toys, and if he didn't he would readily get them for the labs. In fact all he had to do is tell Tony a vague idea of what he needed and the man would turn up a week later with a hand-held machine. It was kind of amazing, and kind of scary.

"Any way that you could get them by tonight?" He really should have done this before talking to Darcy. The day was hardly over, but he knew things took time.

"Nothing comprehensive, but enough." He figured he could always go more in depth later if Steve wanted.

"Thank you." Steve smiled and nodded, feeling relaxed for the first time since he entered the labs.

"Hey, what are friends for? Here," Bruce closed the cabinet and handed over the small clear container to Steve. "there's a bathroom back there. Do you, um, need anything?" He blushed and ran a hand through his hair. Yeah, that maybe hadn't come out right.

"Uh, no, no I've got it." Steve laughed as he moved quickly towards the bathroom. It was awkward, but he had lived and worked in close quarters during the war. He was no stranger to being overheard during… private moments. At least Bruce wouldn't tease him relentlessly like the Commandos.

* * *

With the way Steve had been about everything, Darcy wasn't about to take any chance that he would change his mind. So, after he had left to do whatever it was he was going to do, she went straight to her computer and started pulling up site after site. She was going to make sure Steve was as informed as he could be, hopefully it would be enough to ensure him that everything would be perfectly safe.

Of course it was not like she would turn down the alternative. What red-blooded woman would say no to sex with Steve Rogers? She had been shocked when he had automatically jumped to that particular conclusion, it had totally fled her mind that artificial insemination had yet to become the norm when he had gone under. No wonder he had been so shocked when she had taken his comment seriously.

"Ms. Lewis, Dr. Foster is approaching your door. Should I inform her that you are not accepting visitors today?" Jarvis's voice filtered through the room at a much lower register than normal. With Stark, Jarvis had found the normal pitch to his voice to be effective. When it came to Ms. Lewis however, he had been instructed to lower the noise to a murmur upon her first hangover within the tower. He had of course complied, creating a version of his voice that was softer and deeper than normal. Making it sound; as according to Ms. Lewis, like satin over velvet.

"No, JARVIS, my good man. I'm feeling a bit better. Thank you though." Darcy smiled up at the ceiling and blew Jarvis a kiss. She always felt a bit like some Austen heroine when the AI addressed her. She would never tell anyone, but she really wanted to dress up one day and spend the whole day pretending to be some Regency lady. Alright, so maybe she had told Jane, but that had been a drunken mistake after her breakup with Ian and the two women had binge-watched every Austen and Austen-like movie she had.

"You are welcome, Ms. Lewis." Jarvis raised his voice a little, though still refrained from using his normal register until Ms. Lewis had ensured him that she was feeling completely better.

Darcy flung herself back down on the couch, that was still covered in blankets, and quickly regretted the action. She might have been feeling better than she had when she had first woken up, but her head and stomach still resented her it seemed. She clutched at her middle hoping that she wouldn't throw up.

The door across the room slowly opened up. It wasn't the 'approaching a deadly animal' kind of slow, or even the 'unsure if I should be here' kind of slow. It was more the 'I'm about to die right on your floor, I hate you' kind of slow.

Darcy laughed as she watched the other woman stagger into the room. She moved from side to side as though trying to stay steady on one of those moving floors you find at county faires. She cringed, she had been on one of those in high-school when her senior year had decided to have a Grease themed end of the year faire. The memory of the rolling and tilting ground was not one she needed right then.

"Damn, Jane, you look like utter shit." Ok, so she wasn't going to win any best friend of the year awards, but the woman really did look like shit. She still wore her 'I drank like a fucking fish' pjs, which actually were just a pair of threadbare yoga pants with holes in both knees and inside thighs, and a large curry stained t-shirt she had stolen from Darcy.

Her hair looked like it was worse than Darcy's. She figured the woman had tried to pull it up into a ponytail or bun the night before, but she only succeeded in making a huge knotted mess on top of her head instead. Darcy knew that was going to be a fucking pain to fix, she also knew she would be the one doing it lest the scientist just slice it off.

"I love you too." Jane groaned at the sound of her own voice, but still managed to flip off the other woman.

She blinked as she looked over the other woman. She didn't look all fresh and dewy-eyed, but she also didn't look like she spent the night in the south end of a north bound skunk either. It kind of pissed her off. It had to be the boobs. Yeah, that's what it was.

"Stating the obvious again, Jane." Darcy rolled her eyes, though carefully, as the back of them still felt as though they had been roasted over a damned fire.

"Shut up, this is all your fault." Not really caring, Jane flung herself across the back of the couch, her face planting right into the blankets. She figured if she barfed there Darcy deserved it.

"Hey, I'm not the one that thought it would be a good idea to try and drink Nat under the table." She laughed as the woman beside her weakly extended an arm and hit her leg. It felt more like getting hit with a cotton ball than anything.

"No, you are only the one that dared me to." Realizing that exacting revenge on her friend really wasn't worth actually dealing with throwing up, Jane slowly stood back up. Of course this meant that all the blood rushed away from her head and she had to take a moment to not throw up anyway.

"Didn't mean you had to take the dare." Seriously, Darcy thought it was pretty obvious that little Jane could never out drink Nat. Darcy wasn't even sure Thor could out drink that woman.

"You double-dog dared me! I know you, the last time I refused I woke up with my eyebrows shaved off and a sharpie mustache." Jane would never forgive her for that one.

They had been in the tower only a month when Darcy had dared her to flash Steve when they got back from their latest mission. Jane had refused of course, though she had never thought the other woman would do anything to her. She had woken up late that next morning and rushed off to her meeting with Erik and Bruce without ever looking in the mirror. Since then Jane never turned down a dare.

"I said you didn't have to take the dare, I never said there wouldn't be consequences." Darcy stuck her tongue out at the rat's nest parading around as a woman. Jane had to learn that even though she loved her, rules were rules when it came to double-dog dares.

"I hate you." One day she would get Darcy back, but until then she would just settle on insults and her Death-Glare of Doom. Even if said glare made her look more constipated than dangerous when she was hungover.

"Wow, you are so contradictive today." Darcy actually loved hungover Jane, she was like a little kitten trying to play the lioness. She wasn't even one of those kittens that you could easily see would grow to a good size. She was one of those itty-bitty kittens that made a pitiful squeak instead of an actual meow. It was funny.

"And you are way too perky for being hungover, you are never this happy the morning after." Jane looked over her friend as though she would find something different about her. Darcy was a Grade-A Bitch, The Queen Bitch if you will, when hungover. This, whatever this was, was not her evil bitch friend. She immediately suspected pod people.

"What can I say, I've been reevaluating my life and have decided to become a better person." Darcy pressed a hand to her chest as she spoke. She tried not to laugh when Jane lifted a single brow at her.

"You couldn't have chosen not mocking your friend's pain instead of being an irritatingly perky hungover?" Right now Jane would prefer mumbling, bitch Darcy to whatever she was at the moment. It was the reason she had come over, so they could groan and whine together.

"Baby-steps, Jane, baby-steps." Darcy gathered most of the blankets on the couch and tossed them across the room. She would pick them up later, or maybe get Steve to do it. Right now she didn't really want to move.

"Bullshit. Anyway, my head is still spinning and I fear if I don't sit down that I'll puke." Jane wasn't kidding. Even though Darcy had the lights in the room dimmed, everything seemed too bright and swirly.

"Well sit down, idiot. I don't remember saying you couldn't. Just know, puke on my stuff and it won't just be shaved eyebrows that you will have to worry about." Darcy winked at Jane as she slowly moved around the couch and plopped down beside her. She could be pretty inventive in her revenge, which was something she knew her friend understood.

"I don't even know why I hang around you sometimes." Jane pulled one of the remaining blankets up onto her lap and cuddled down inside it. For some reason Darcy always had the best smelling blankets. They didn't smell like fabric softener or anything, more spicy like she sprayed them regularly with men's cologne.

"Because you love me, or at least my coffee and my mad computer skills." Darcy made kissy noises at Jane. They always joked about Darcy worth as an intern, but the truth was after everything they'd been through neither of them could survive without the other.

"Yeah, talking of computers, why is there a site to a fertility clinic on your monitor?" Jane eyed the laptop on the coffee table before deciding to go ahead and reach out and grab it. She scrolled down the page before scanning through the various tabs; all information on fertility treatments.

Darcy sat beside Jane, mouth flapping open and closed silently as she watched her friend go through her tabs. Damn it, she had meant to close out of everything, but she had been distracted by the other woman's appearance. This was going to be hard to explain away.

"Uh, research?" Darcy cringed, that was just as lame as saying she just happened to click a link not knowing what it was. There was no way she was not coming off as suspicious.

"What the hell kind of research is that?!" Jane could feel her headache getting worse. Darcy had done some spectacularly crazy things since she'd known her, but she had a feeling this one was about to take the cake.

"The kind that requires me to look at that site." Darcy gave an uneasy smile as she shrugged one shoulder. She cursed the night before, she was good at making up lies when hungover. Then again if she hadn't been so out of it she would've remembered to close out the browser,and there wouldn't have been any need for lying.

"Darcy…" Jane turned the computer around so Darcy could see the site on IUI's that had been the last tab.

"It's nothing, Jane, believe me. I've just been thinking about some things lately." Alright, so there was no way she was going to be able to deny everything, but Jane didn't need to know Darcy was doing more than just thinking.

"What kind of things?" Jane closed the computer and set it back on the coffee table. She had rarely seen Darcy as serious as she looked now. It wasn't that the younger woman didn't have any depth, but she normally kept it hidden behind layers of snark and humor.

"Well, haven't you ever thought about children? Having one or two of your own?" Darcy and Jane had never actually discussed future plans regarding children and family. So much of their discussions on the future dealt mostly with science, the application, the theory, and the awards. She figured it had to have happened at some point though. Might as well be now, considering.

"Sure, in a sort of abstract way I guess. I like children, and everything with Pepper is exciting, but I'm not sure it is for me. I can barely take care of myself. Why, are you?" Growing up, Jane hadn't been one of those girls aching to become a mother. She didn't find any fault in it, but she had been so focused on everything science could give her that she had ignored most everything else.

It was a bit of an issue with Thor though. Even though he had abdicated, sort of, he knew that unless his father produced another heir he would eventually have to return to Asgard and claim the throne. That meant he would need an heir of his own. That was where Jane had come in.

As of late they had been talking more and more about the future. Jane had always figured he would stay with her until she grew old and died and then eventually go off to marry an Asgardian Lady. Thor had other plans, ones that involved a golden apple and her taking on the role of Queen and Mother of the Heir. It was a scary thought, and one she really didn't want to ruminate on too much in the next five to ten years.

"Yeah, thinking about it at least. I know I'm young, that I've got plenty of time, yada-yada-yada, but I'm not so sure when it comes to the life we live. It was hard enough to find good men before all this, now I have to worry about Avenger fanboys or evil spies when I go out. I get to thinking sometimes that maybe I won't find that someone and have my happily-ever-after." That was all true actually, even if it wasn't the whole reason for what she was planning. It was something that everyone who was either involved or was an Avenger had to worry about.

Everyone glorified the life in Avengers Tower. Magazines wrote article after article about the high life of the Avengers and their friends and family. Movies were made, some low budget and some big Hollywood productions, that focused more on the lavish and glamorous life of a superhero than the horror and blood of battle.

There was even a weekly television show, done in the style of 90210. The stupid writers of that one turned Nat into nothing more than the Avenger's play bunny, going from teammate to teammate like her only job was to make sure the male Avengers were sexually satisfied. Needless to say that all changed when the show got a surprise visit one day while shooting.

"Oh, Darcy." Jane reached over and took one of Darcy's hands. It hadn't actually occurred to her that things were different for her friend. Jane had Thor, and really between Darcy and everyone else in the Tower she had no need to look for friendship outside of their circle.

"Please don't pity me." Darcy pulled her hand away from Jane, her eyes narrow as they looked at the other woman. She hated being pitied, it always made her feel like she was being seen like a small bug rather than a person.

"I'm not, but I'm allowed to worry. You are my best friend, you know?" She didn't try to take Darcy's hand again, just sat back against the couch cushion and wrapped the blanket even tighter around herself.

"I know, and you're my best girl-friend." Darcy relaxed when she realized that Jane wasn't going into pity mode.

"Not your best all-around-friend?" Jane pretended to be offended, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting like a little child.

"Sorry, I don't think I can really pick between you, Steve and Bucky." She loved all three of them greatly, though her relationship with each was different. Jane was her sister, Bucky was her brother,and Steve… well Steve was like that boy you had been friends with since grade school and in college suddenly realized just how wonderful he really was.

"Fair enough. But, Darcy, will you at least promise me that you will not go and get pregnant with some stranger's kid?" Jane knew that Darcy could be impulsive, it was part of what made her so endearing. But sometimes her impulsiveness got her in trouble. This could really be one of those times.

"I promise, no strange sperm will enter here." Darcy cheekily pointed to her lap and waggled her eyebrows. Technically she wasn't lying, though had had past experience with it, she really couldn't call Steve's sperm a stranger.

"Good God, Darcy!" Jane smacked her face down into her palm. Before Darcy she hadn't even heard the term facepalm, but since taking her on as an intern she had done it more times than she could count.

"I'm sorry. In all seriousness, Jane, you don't have to worry. I'm not about to have some random man's child." Again not lying, Steve wasn't random. Darcy laughed to herself, maybe she would convince Steve to allow her to name the child Random if it was a girl… the whole randomly having a kid by a random/not really man. Though she probably should introduce him to the books first, even then he probably wouldn't find it funny.

"Good." Jane risked patting Darcy's leg before pulling back and putting on the haughtiest look she could muster. "Now, bring me my coffee woman!"

"You are lucky I love you, because if not I would so totally tase you for that." Darcy stuck out her tongue, but still she got up and headed for the kitchen. It would probably do her good to have a huge cup of coffee. Maybe it would help her get rid of the last of her headache.

Abab

Bruce blinked into the microscope, his head spinning at what he saw. Though he had been surprised at the request, he couldn't really say he was all that shocked. He had done several such tests on samples of his own. He had to say though, his results were nothing like Steve's. Super Soldier indeed.

"Brucie!" Tony sauntered into the labs, a bag of dried cherries in hand. He tried to visit Bruce at least once a day while he worked, help keep him on his toes. Pepper said it was to annoy the man, but she just didn't understand the dynamic of their relationship.

"I swear, Tony, if you are here to do anything that will result in blowing up this lab I will allow the other guy to use you as a basketball." Bruce ignored the other man as he made a note on the paper beside him.

The Hulk had used Tony, in the suit of course, as various pieces of sports equipment through the years. Normally it happened because Tony had done something to piss him off, and during a battle the Other Guy would randomly decide to play baseball with Iron Man. Bruce had to admit it was comical. Mostly when Darcy had gathered all the footage she could of the events and made a dvd for him for Christmas. She even added commentary and scores.

"Harsh, Brucie, so very harsh. But may I remind you that I do own this lab?" Tony leaned his hip against the table Bruce was using. He shook out a few cherries, tossed them in the air and caught them in his mouth.

"May I remind you what Pepper did to you last time you blew something up?" Bruce smirked at the look of horror and betrayal on Tony's face. Once the only thing he had to threaten the man with was harm by the hand of Hulk, which really didn't work as he just saw it as a challenge. Thankfully one day Pepper pulled him aside and gave her full permission to use her and her wrath as a threat. He would be forever grateful to that woman.

"I thought we decided never to mention that again?" Tony scowled and stuffed a handful of cherries in his mouth. He didn't understand why everyone was so against him. He gave them all the toys and made them look cool, they should adore him.

"No, you decided that. I decided to bring it up at random and embarrassing times, mostly in front of others. By the way, hey Sam." Bruce waved at the man that had just entered.

Sam came by most days just to talk. Though they had developed a friendship, Bruce also knew he came for other reasons. Sam was one of the main ones trying to get Bruce to embrace the Other Guy and stop thinking himself as a monster.

"Hey. So what did Pepper do?" Sam laughed at the look on Stark's face. He looked like a five year old. Not that that was really out of the ordinary for the man. Tony had three settings: Iron Man, Playboy, and Child.

"No, no we are not talking about that! We are talking about… we are talking about this! So, what is this Big-Guy? What are we working on, come on don't leave me in the dark." Tony grabbed a vial off the table, tossing it from hand to hand.

Bruce wanted to laugh and cringe as he watched Tony play with the sample Steve had given him."That is a vial of semen."

"Uhhhhh, yeah I see that now." Tony lifted up the vial to eye level by two fingers. His nose crinkled as he frowned at the offending stuff.

"Tony, would you mind putting that down. I doubt Steve would appreciate you fondling it." Bruce cringed at himself. He hadn't meant to say anything about Steve, knowing what Tony would do with the information. It had just kind of slipped out.

"Shit, shitshitshitshitshitshit! Fucking gross man!" Tony tossed the vial back onto the table and ran towards the sink on the back wall.

Sam and Bruce watched on as Tony flailed his arms about him as he ran. He made retching noises along the way, making comments about having to shower in bleach just to get clean.

"Maybe that will teach you not to mess with things that aren't yours." Bruce gave in and laughed at the other man's display. Tony never failed to give amusement, even when he wasn't trying.

"Doubtful, but what the fuck man? Why do you even have that shit in here?" Tony gagged as he scrubbed vigorously at his hands. That had been closer than he had ever wanted to get to Steve Rogers.

"I believe that is none of your business." Bruce quickly folded up his notes and hid them while Tony had his back turned. Steve was going to kill him for this.

"I could always just get JARVIS to tell me." Tony shrugged a shoulder before grabbing a towel and drying off.

"That is getting to become an old and worn out threat." Bruce rolled his eyes, Tony could be such a drama queen. He would no more use Jarvis to spy on his friends than anything.

"But still a real threat. So, out with it, why is there a vial of Steve's… semen… in here?" Tony had read the same files as Bruce had read and knew the tests that had already been done by Hydra/Shield. He knew Bruce would never continue such tests, nor would Steve allow it. So the question of what he was doing stilled begged to be answered.

Bruce sighed, knowing that his friend would not drop it until he got what he wanted. "He asked me to do a few tests."

"He's alright, isn't he?" Sam had a pretty good idea what the whole thing was about, but between not knowing if Steve had told Bruce and knowing that he hadn't told Tony he didn't want to say anything. Tony knowing about the tests was bad enough.

"More than alright from the results so far. No, it seems Steve may have a girl and is worried about hurting her." Bruce tried to picture the type of girl the Cap might go for. No matter what he pictured he always came back to Darcy. Everyone figured the young woman was with either Steve or Bucky, but none of them ever said anything.

"He actually told you that?" Sam lifted a brow, wondering what his friend was up to. Surely he hadn't told Bruce that he had a girlfriend?

"No, but what else am I supposed to think when he comes in to ask me if his semen would hurt a woman?" Bruce looked the other man over. There was something about the way he looked and sounded that made him think that he knew more about what was going on.

"Seriously, the Capsicle is going to get laid? Oh man, I need photo evidence before I'll believe it." Tony laughed at the thought that the old man was finally going to get his cherry popped.

"Mention this to him and I will personally make sure to fuck up your life. Got it?" Sam pointed a finger at the overgrown child. He would not just beat the crap out of him if he told, he would get Pepper and the rest of the women in on it.

"Fuck, like I would really tell him I touched his shit. In fact that information doesn't leave this room." Tony pointed back and forth between Sam and Bruce, not putting his arm down until they both nodded.

"Fine, as long as the information about Steve and whoever the girl is remains here as well." Sam knew it was a weak bargain, one that Tony would break quickly, but it was worth a shot.

Tony pretended to think it over, only relenting when Sam took a step forward. "Hard bargain. Fine, but he better come to me for advice."

"Why the hell would he come to you?" It was laughable, Sam thought, that Steve would go to any one for sex advice. That little shit probably could give better advice than half of them in the tower.

"Why the hell wouldn't he?" Tony didn't understand why no one respected him. He was obviously the best choice, he had experience,lots of experience. He could easily write a book with everything he knew.

"Maybe because you are an insensitive prick that would spend half the time making fun of him instead of giving advice." Bruce didn't want to think about Tony giving the sex talk. He thanked God that Tony had a daughter and that particular privilege went to Pepper.

"Not half, maybe only the first ten minutes." Alright, he might actually take fifteen, but it would be too good a chance to pass up.

"Shut up, Tony, and get out. I promised him I would finish this as fast as I could." Bruce removed his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. Dealing with Tony sometimes could be more tiring than hulking out.

"Fine, I know when I'm not wanted!" Not caring how childish he looked, stuck his tongue out and marched towards the door. He probably should stop hanging out with Darcy so much, he was picking up a lot of her habits.

"If only that were true." Bruce shook his head. Sometimes he wondered why he remained in the tower when he could be off somewhere alone and quiet.

"Fuck you, fuck you both! I'm outta here!"

Abab

"So, you decided to go through with it?" Sam closed the door behind him as he moved into the not oft used tower library.

Just like with everything else he had done, Tony had spared no expense in creating the room. It took up half a floor of the tower, large floor to ceiling glass shelves filled the room, covered in every manner of book. Sam had been browsing once and had even come across a shelf dedicated to Asgardian books. Both those Thor brought back from home and ones about Norse myth written on Earth.

The room was rarely used, the place only having a couple regular visitors. One of those regulars sat curled up in a large chair by the, thanks to Tony, waterfall fixture.

"Excuse me, what?" Steve looked up from the book he had been reading to see Sam leaning against one of the glass bookshelves.

He had gone to the library in order to keep himself calm. Not to mention see if there was any information about the fertility treatments Darcy had been talking about. He hadn't thought he would run to anyone as the only others that normally used the room were occupied with other things.

"Having a kid with Darce, you've decided to do it?" Sam pushed off the bookshelf and sat himself down in the chair opposite of Steve.

He had to admit that Tony had created the perfect environment for relaxing and reading. During the day the room filled with sunlight, the only hindrance of it being in the books themselves. The waterfall trickled into the small pond below it.

"Sort of, how did you know about that anyway?" He set his book on the table by his chair, on the side away from the water fixture. Steve doubted that Sam had talked to Darcy, as she didn't even know he knew. So that meant Bruce.

"Saw Bruce in the lab. He seems to think you've got yourself a girl." Sam's eyes slid over the book Steve had been reading. It wasn't anything he had read before, but considering the title and cover he was sure it had something to do with pregnancy.

"And you figured I agreed to the baby thing off of that?" That was a bit of a leap, he thought. Though, maybe not as large had Sam not known about everything beforehand.

"No, I figured it out when he said you wanted everything tested to make sure you wouldn't hurt some woman. I know you're no virgin, so…" Sam shook his head. Everyone always teased him about being a virgin or a prude, but he had been with Steve when he had picked up women before. It was something to see.

"I wanted to make sure that there would be nothing wrong with the baby, or if I could even have children. The serum made me into this, made me better, but there is nothing to say it didn't leave me with a few as of yet known side effects." Steve feared what the serum could possibly do to a child. Not that it was likely, he thought, but nothing ever came without a price.

"It's an understandable worry." Sam hadn't thought about it like that. All the books he had read when he had been in school had always remarked about how wonderful the serum was, and the potential it could have had in creating a wonder drug. He had never thought the same thing that had created Captain America might cause problems with reproducing.

"So…" Steve wasn't really sure why Bruce had told Sam, but he figured he would give the man the benefit of the doubt. Mostly as Sam had a way of prying information from you.

"Don't worry, Bruce isn't shouting it out to everyone that passes by." Sam reached over and grabbed the book, flicking through it as Steve's shoulders relaxed. Just as he had thought, the book dealt with pregnancy. It looked like he might actually be going through with it.

"That's good to know." Steve turned his head and stared into the waterfall, his eyes becoming unfocused as he let his mind wander to what would come later that night.

"Unfortunately Tony might. Sorry, he was already in the lab when I got there." He thought about telling him of Tony's little freak out, but Sam decided to keep that for later. One never knew when they would need blackmail material.

"And he isn't here yet, why?" Steve's head turned so fast, he figured had he not been enhanced he would've ended up with whiplash.

Oh course it was just his luck that Tony had been there and heard everything. He was just glad the man didn't know the real story yet. He wasn't sure how he would take it, but Steve was sure it would end up unbearable for him.

"We may have threatened him to keep his mouth shut. Even so, I thought you should know, eventually he'll call our bluff." Sam shut the book and tossed it back onto the table. It was going to be interesting to see how everything worked out between Steve and Darcy, and how everyone would take the news when they found out.

"And in the most public and embarrassing way possible." Steve leaned back in the chair and ran a hand down his face. He was just glad Darcy wasn't implicated in anything. Though he knew it probably wouldn't take long for Tony to connect the dots, well somewhat, and realize she was the girl in question.

"He wouldn't be Tony Stark if he didn't." Sam could only shrug his shoulders. There was really little anyone could do when it came to the man, except for tell on him to Pepper. The man really was nothing more than an overgrown child.

"I'd say we wouldn't love him if he was any other way, but I'm afraid I would be lying." Steve laughed alongside Sam. There was a bit of truth to that, but still Steve had found himself friends with the man. Even caring for him.

"Truer words. Now, can we get back to the bit where you decided to have a kid?" Sam waved a hand at the book beside Steve as he relaxed deeper into the chair.

"I haven't decided, not fully. We've decided to talk about it." Maybe that didn't sound like much progress, but considering how things had been between them just a couple of days ago he would say they've made leaps and bounds.

"But you thought to go ahead and have those tests done?" He watched as a rather sorrowful look came over his friend's face. When working in the field with someone, it was sometimes easy to forget that there were other sides to them besides soldier. Mostly when there ended up being so much fighting.

"There is no use in getting her hopes up in case we do go through with it and I end up being unable to impregnate her. I don't want to do that to her." He wasn't sure he could do it to himself either. With each passing minute he became more and more emotionally involved.

"Smart. So, was it my wonderful advice that helped?" Sam leaned forward in his chair, smiling at the other man.

"No, it was Pepper actually." Steve laughed a bit at the disappointed face of his friend and sat up more fully in his own chair.

"Pepper?! I went and gave… ok yeah, never mind, that woman is a saint." He really couldn't say anything bad about that woman. She should be awarded a Nobel for just putting up with Tony's shit and cleaning up after him. Plus he guessed getting advice about having children from a pregnant woman was probably more convincing than a man with no kids.

"She has to be. Look, don't tell Bucky alright?" Steve had yet to tell him that he had actually started thinking about going ahead, and at the moment neither him nor Darcy needed to deal with the tantrum he was going to throw.

"Not my job anyway, but you do realize that if he finds out from anyone but you he is going to be angry?" Like really angry. Sam didn't want to be even in the same state as the three of them if that happened.

"I know, but he is going to be angry at me anyway." He really wanted to have everything worked out between him and Darcy before he told Bucky. Not that it would help much with the situation with him, but at least they could stand as a united front when Hurricane Bucky blew into town.

"I wouldn't say angry, he's just worried. Eventually he'll see what you see." Maybe, someday. After talking and working with him so long, Sam knew that Bucky had a lot of hangups. The poor guy had been completely screwed around with for so long he feared it would take a long time for things to start evening out for him.

"Not without a lot of yelling, cursing, and most likely throwing things… like his knives, first." Steve knew he didn't have too much to worry about when it came to Darcy. Bucky would most likely give her a lecture and his puppy eyes. It was what would happen to him that was the problem.

The two of them always solved things through fighting, even back before the war and the serum. Bucky always went easy on him then, but now a scuffle between them could destroy a room.

"Knives? No, but I do expect he'll get in a punch or two." Sam would like to say he was just playing, but he had seen those two in action. Damn if they didn't aim to hurt.

"Thanks, that makes me feel much better." Steve rolled his eyes. He really should look into find some new friends. Ones that didn't see violence as a normal pastime.

"Only here to help. Now, I've got a date with death." Sam pushed himself up out of the chair and dusted out the wrinkles in his clothes.

"Sparing with Nat again?" Steve watched as Sam smoothed a hand over his head and straightened his shirt. The two had a strange relationship, but he figured it worked for them.

"Nope, dinner. Wish me luck!" Sam winked and started for the door. He still needed to change his shirt, and looking down at his shoes, he realized a different pair would probably be best.

"You're going to need it if she ever finds out you called her death." He shook his head.

At one point Steve had thought Nat had been with Clint, but when the archer came out of his rooms one morning with a half dressed brunette on his heels he figured different. Well, after spending the morning waiting for Nat to tear off Clint's head during breakfast. Turned out though that relationship had long since died, and Nat had pretty much been sleeping with Sam since the fall of Shield.

"Eh, she's got her pet name for me too." Not that he would ever tell anyone about that, he enjoyed not getting laughed at.

"I think I might be scared if you two ever have kids." Steve shook in fright over the thought. They would be worse than Tony.

"Me too, me too."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally got it done! Sorry, between finals, my muse hounding when it came to oneshots, and a stupid flu I had I haven't been able to work on this.
> 
> This chapter actually gave me trouble, which annoys me because some of my favorite stuff is in this one. I giggled like a little girl when I came up with the scene with Tony. I just keep seeing him flailing around and prancing back to the sink to wash his hands.
> 
> Now, I have seen AOU, and this will remain non-compliant. So that means anything that became canon in that movie has been totally kicked out the window and stomped on and then set on fire. I liked the movie, but there was a lot I would have changed. Anyway, this story will never have Ultron or the whole Civil War storyline. Though I will probably work in a bit of the AOS season two storyline because I need that character development for Jemma when I bring her in.
> 
> I hope the next chapter won't take me so long, as my fav chapters are coming up, but just know I am working on finishing the chapter by chapter development for this story as well as working on developing a Darcy-centric 40's story and a new Tasertricks. So updates might still be slow, but hopefully not too slow.
> 
> Also, for those confused about the title and Darcy's inner thoughts earlier, the whole daughter named Random thing is actually from the book Mostly Harmless the fifth Hitchhiker's book. I don't know, I love to make references to Hitchhiker's and Monty Python.
> 
> Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


	7. Degree Seven: Semantics With Big Green Rage Monsters

  
  Knowing that Tony knew did absolutely nothing to lessen his nervousness; in fact it probably worsened it. It didn’t matter that Tony had it wrong, Steve didn’t feel like dealing with the man one way or the other. Lord, he feared to think what Stark would be like if he found out the truth. He figured it would go one of two ways: either Tony would make a huge joke out of it, or he would try to kill him for defiling his favorite lab-monkey. He had a sneaking suspicion it would be the last one. Tony was rather protective of Darcy even if he liked to pretend otherwise.

  Steve ran his hand through his hair a couple of times as he took a moment outside of the lab. He wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but he was nervous about the results of the tests. If things came back fine then he could very well become a father, should they come back wrong… he would have to give up the dream of a family for good. 

  “You can come in, no one else is in here.” Bruce pulled his glasses from his nose, tucking them neatly into his pocket. Since the rather embarrassing; on Tony’s part; display earlier, he had been keeping track of movements outside the lab via Jarvis. All had been quiet so far, but that was really more worrying than anything. 

  “Oh, that is not…” Steve could feel his face flush red. He hadn’t realized his fidgeting had been so obvious. It didn’t matter that Bruce mistook it for being because of Tony, it was still annoying. Nat would have his hide, he was supposed to be working on his “poker face.”  

  “Don’t worry about it, just come in before Tony or Clint rounds the corner and wonders what you’re doing out there.” Bruce shook his head, he sometimes wondered why he was friends with either of those two. Though he would confess, he would much rather deal with Tony and Clint than Nat… or Darcy for that matter. The younger woman had been taking lessons, he was sure of it.

  Steve smiled awkwardly, stepping into the lab and allowing the door to shut firmly behind him. He gazed around a bit, as though the answer to his tests would be plastered across some screen. They weren’t of course, but that didn’t stop Steve from checking each and every one. His eyes landed on one screen tucked in the corner; he was no expert when it came to the sciences, but he could make out enough.

  “You’ve started work on it again?” He turned to his friend and teammate, all awkwardness gone. “How many does this make?”

  “I just need to make a few adjustments to my calculations, that’s all.” Bruce looked away from Steve, put his glasses back on, and read over a few of his notes. He didn’t need to hear about it again, not from Steve or anyone else. None of them understood, they got the choice, he didn’t.

  “Bruce, last time almost killed you.” Steve would never forget finding the man one evening in a pool of his own blood.

  “Don’t start… As I said, I just need to make some adjustments. I’m looking into bringing in someone to help; a fresh pair of eyes. So if we could just drop it and deal with the matter at hand?” Taking a few breaths in, Bruce worked to calm himself. He had everything pretty much under control, but sometimes certain buttons could be pushed and he would have to take a breather.   

  “Alright.” Not wanting a Code Green, Steve let it drop for the moment. Bruce was right though, he had come there for a reason. “So, do you have the results?”

  Bruce blew out a sigh and quickly composed himself. Back to business, that he could deal with. “Yes, they’re not very comprehensive, but I’m not sure anything more will be necessary.”

  “Is something wrong?” Steve felt like he had been shot in the gut; all the air in his lungs had been forced out of him and his head was spinning. He knew there was a chance, a pretty big chance actually. Still, he had hoped, and to have that hope dashed… what made it worse was thinking about Darcy.

  “Oh, no, no, everything is fine!” Bruce rushed forward with his hands held up. Maybe he should’ve worded that differently. “Very fine in fact. There are no residual traces of radiation, and as far as I can see any future children should be quite healthy. Though, unless you are planning a family right now, I would suggest you use these.” Bruce pulled a box from his coat pocket and tossed it to the recovering man in front of him.

  “Rubbers?” Steve looked down at the box in his hands, not his preferred brand, but at least the right size. Which he didn’t even want think about how Bruce knew that… and now the awkwardness was back. He wasn’t a prude and he wasn’t all that shy, it was hard to be when part of the military, but things could sometimes be uneasy around the other man. 

  “Seriously, use them. Looks like there was a bit of an unforeseen side effect.” Bruce shrugged his shoulders and smiled at the question that was clearly on the other man’s face. “You are rather… let’s just say you have quite a large army of little super-soldiers. Unless your partner has problems I doubt it would take much to get pregnant.”

  “Really?” That gut wound quickly became a mass of butterflies as he realized how close everything was to becoming a reality. He wasn’t sure if he needed to sit down or pace. 

  “Yeah, so wrap it up.” Shaking his head, Bruce laughed. It was a bit surreal; lecturing Captain America on safe sex. He remembered the old posters that were plastered on the walls of his sex-ed class in school: old pictures of Captain America with captions underneath about keeping it safe. He wondered what Steve would do if he saw himself holding a condom with the slogan “I want you! To wrap it up!” emblazoned in bright red across the image. 

  “Uh, yeah. Look, thank you for this.” Steve backed up towards the door, the box still in his hands. If Bucky ever got word of this conversation he would laugh, well after kicking his ass.

  “You’re welcome. Your fears were reasonable, but thankfully you were given the good stuff. Myself… not so much.” Bruce had come to terms with not being able to have children, even if he hadn’t with being the Hulk. He figured it had more to do with him never really wanting kids in the first place than anything. Even without the Hulk, he knew he had the capacity for great violence. He never wanted to be one of those fathers. 

  “I’m sorry, uh…” Steve never knew what to say when that particular subject came up. Sorry always felt like too little, but anything else sounded like pity. 

  “I’ve accepted it.” Bruce cut off Steve before he could go any further. He had heard everything and had no use to hear more. “Now, it’s getting late so you should probably get ready for your date.”

  “What makes you think I have a date?” Steve tried to think back on what he had told Bruce earlier. He knew the other man thought he was seeing someone, but he couldn’t remember saying anything about a date. 

  “You wanted the results today, I kind of figured you had something set up.” Bruce watched as Steve started fidgeting again, but he just attributed it to his nervousness.   

 “Uh, yeah, I do. So, thanks again…” Steve shook the box a bit, an awkward smile on his face. 

  “You’re welcome, again, now go.” Bruce waved him out of the lab and laughed to himself. It was strange to see Steve so nervous, the man was normally so sure of himself.

* * *

 

  Darcy paced the length of her living-room, back and forth, back and forth in front of her couch. She stopped every now and then to look down at the coffee table. Feeding super-soldiers was busy work, she had cooked dinner once for both Steve and Bucky and had refused to ever do it again. Since then she would put in several orders from different take-out restaurants. Her coffee table was filled with the normal amount: several pizzas, Thai, Indian, Mexican, and pretty much a menu sampler from every place within a ten mile radius of the tower. The only thing that was missing was the superhero meant to eat it all.

  They hadn’t set an actual time, but that didn’t stop Darcy from worrying that Steve had changed his mind. With each passing minute she convinced herself more and more that he had given into his doubts. She was so worked up that she hadn’t realized that someone had entered her apartment, a someone that had been calling her name for five minutes before she finally heard him.

  “Oh! You came!” Darcy jumped a little, her heart racing beneath her ribs. She had been so close to calling it an evening and just tossing everything away.

  “Uh, yeah I said I would. Are you alright?” Steve moved further into the room, his eyes taking in the woman in front of him. She was flushed red, a bit of sweat clinging to her forehead, and her hands were clasped tightly in front of her. He worried she would burst out crying at any moment with the way her eyes glistened.

  “Fine, I’m fine! I just…” Darcy took a deep breath in and let out a soft, nervous laugh.

  “Thought I’d chickened out?” Steve laughed himself, mostly out of relief that she was alright. It always worried him when she got sick. “Don’t blame you, with the way I’ve been acting I’d be thinking the same thing.”

  “So… you didn’t change your mind?” Darcy could feel her heart hammering away in her chest. She had thought of nothing but this for so long now, she wasn’t sure how she would feel being given a bit of hope and having it taken away. 

  “Nope.” Steve smiled wide as he rocked on the balls of his feet. Now that he was standing there all the excitement of a new adventure was whirling inside of him. 

  “Good, good… Um Steve? What are… are those…? Forgetting what we talked about this morning, you do realize that those are counterproductive to what we are planning?” Darcy raised a single eyebrow and pointed to the box held firmly in Steve’s hand. She had to bite her lips to keep from laughing, she was sure there was a story there.

  Steve blinked a moment at Darcy before he realized what she was talking about. He looked down at the box of condoms still in his hand with something akin to outright panic in his eyes. He looked around the room for a moment, trying to find some place to set the box down. In the end he hurriedly tossed the offending item across the room and behind a curio-cabinet.

  “Ah… Bruce gave those to me.” Damn his Irish skin, he could feel the heat rising along his neck and into his cheeks. 

  “Bruce, as in Bruce Banner, Dr. Bruce Banner?” Darcy crossed her arms over her chest, her mouth set as she looked at the man in front of her. She had expected to hear that Tony had been an little shit again, but Bruce… 

  “Um, yeah.” Shit, yeah that was not the look of a pleased woman. In fact the look currently on Darcy’s face was what Bucky had dubbed her ‘Proceed With Caution’ face. Steve hated that face.

  “Dr. Bruce ‘You won’t like me when I’m angry’ Banner gave you condoms, right before you came to see me?” Darcy pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. Bruce wasn’t a big one for jokes; The Hulk was, but not Bruce. So the only reason he would give them to Steve would be because her idiot solider said something.

  “Yeah.” Steve kind of wanted to turn and run the other way at the purse of her lips. The last time that was added to the ‘caution’ face, Sam found himself on his back with an entire pizza resting on his face. It had been funny at the time, but Steve really didn’t relish having his dinner shoved down his pants.  

  “Ok, so I’m not sure if this is some funny misunderstanding or if I should be really, really pissed off at you.” Darcy’s foot started tapping, and she tried really hard not to think about the fact that she looked like her mother at the moment.

  “Oh God! No, it’s a misunderstanding I swear!” Steve held out his hands, he wasn’t sure if it was surrender or to show he was unarmed, either way he hoped it would keep the food where it was and not on him.

  “Ok, explain why the Hulk gave you condoms, because I’m this close to conducting an experiment on whether or not my taser would work on a super-soldier.” She held one hand up, finger and thumb almost touching, and glared at Steve.

  “Bruce gave me them not the Hulk.” Yeah, Steve realized that was a mistake the moment it came out of his mouth. Sometimes he really needed to learn to keep his mouth shut around Darcy.

  “Semantics, as I tell him every day. But we are not getting into that whole thing, right now I want an explanation.” She waved a hand, gesturing for him to get on with it. They could talk later about Bruce’s inability to accept the worst parts of himself along with the good. That subject had little bearing on their situation.   

  “It’s not what you think. This morning when I told you I needed to do something, well I went to Bruce and had my… well had some tests done. To make sure everything was safe.” Seeing Darcy drop out of ‘caution’ pose, Steve relaxed. The two of them didn’t fight often, or well they hadn’t before, but when they did it could get pretty loud. 

  “Safe? Oh my God, please tell me you don’t have radioactive sperm that is going to mutate my uterus or something. I’m not even sure what kind of superpower that would become. My God, could you imagine my alter-ego name? Utero Woman? Womb Witch?” Darcy paced back and forth, one hand to her mouth. She had been sure she had thought everything through. She understood there could be complications with the child; such as if the child ended up with Steve’s pre-serum ailments. What she hadn’t thought about was the effect his super-sperm could have on her. 

  Seriously, that would be a really strange and embarrassing origin story. She could just imagine it; she would gain powers and end up becoming an Avenger and all the history books would explain how her womb had become super-powered by way of Captain America’s sperm. School books would have to be edited though.  

  “Darce, Darcy, focus now.” Steve took the few remaining steps into the room and grabbed Darcy by the shoulders. He turned her around so she was forced to look at him.

  “Sorry, so you were saying you wanted to make sure I was safe from becoming super by way of your super-seed?” Darcy swallowed and gave a little half shrug. She might be just a bit wound up.

  “No, I had no worry about that.” Steve slowly lead Darcy to the couch and sat the both of them down. He swept a bit of hair off her shoulder before sitting back enough that he wouldn’t have to hunch over to look her in the eyes.

  “Thanks for caring.” Finally feeling a bit calmer, Darcy leaned back on the couch and took in the man beside her. He still wore the same clothes as that morning, but they had become a bit wrinkled over the course of the day. He looked just as nervous as her, which made her feel better, though he seemed to have a better hold on it. 

  “That is not what I meant. Just… I knew when it came to that, that my… semen… was safe.” Steve ran a hand through his hair, a few bits sticking every which way. It wasn’t as though they hadn’t talked about sex, hell Darcy was very open about her intimate life with him. But Steve had never actually discussed his with her. He pretty much figured that she knew, he might not talk about it, but he didn’t try to hide it either.

  “Huh?” Darcy blinked up at Steve trying to figure out his words. He seemed frustrated when she just stared at him. 

  “Good Lord! I’m not a virgin.” He really didn’t think he had to spell it out to her. She had met with some of his dates before, he was sure she would have put two and two together when he spent those nights out.

  “Sorry.” Darcy felt her face flush, of course she knew that. It was more along the lines that she tried not to think about it. Whenever she did it left a sour taste in her mouth. “Um, anyway, what were you having… oh, OH! So, is it safe?”

  “Yes, any child of ours shouldn’t have to worry. They should be healthy and whole.” Moving past the awkwardness, Steve smiled. He loved saying that, that his children would be healthy. He knew there was still a chance for complications, but with modern medicine any child of his stood a better chance than he ever had.

  “So, what were the condoms for?” Darcy swept her eyes over to the corner that Steve had tossed the box. She would have to remember to dig it out later, lest Jane find them one day. Though, seeing the woman’s face would be totally worth not picking up.

  “I didn’t want him guessing why I asked him for the tests, so I allowed him to think it was for the same reasons you first thought. When I came to find out the results he gave me those, because it turns out that I’m rather… potent. He thinks I’ve got a date tonight and wanted to make sure I was prepared so I wouldn’t get her… you… whatever, pregnant.” Steve scratched the back of his head, he wasn’t very good at explaining everything. He knew they would be doing everything clinical, but it didn’t stop his heart from going wild at the thought of Darcy and sex. Which was something he knew he needed to nip in the bud right then and there. Shit, one of his many reasons for not going through this had been fear of loosing their friendship because of sex.

  “Ok, that’s good. I am too…” Darcy laughed at Steve’s raised brow, and waved a hand at him. “I mean, I went and had tests done at a clinic and I’m all clear. As far as they can see I shouldn’t have any problems, my ground is fertile and ready for planting.”

  “I really wish everyone would stop with the euphemisms.” Steve rolled his eyes, he knew he would have to deal with worse once Tony and Clint found out.

  “Yeah, because just alluding to it is so very mature?” Darcy laughed when Steve stuck out his tongue and gave her a bit of a wink. The public seemed to think that he was some uptight, stiff sort of character; they could never separate Captain America from the man. It always struck Darcy funny thinking about the public seeing Steve the way she got to see him; all playful and teasing. Wouldn’t the media have a field-day if they ever witnessed Captain America playing strip poker or pulling pranks on Iron Man?

  “Touché.” Steve reached out a hand and flicked a bit of Darcy’s hair. This was their relationship. It was fun and easy, it was calming, and led to joke wars. It felt good to get back to rights with her. “So, this is all very good right?”

  “Yep, very good. It means I won’t have to be on any fertility drugs, and hopefully it should only take a couple of tries, if that.” That had been a huge relief to Darcy. Fertility problems didn’t run in the family, but there was always that first person.

  “Drugs?” Leaning fully back, Steve rested his head on his upturned hand. There had been many advancements in medicine since he had been frozen; the vaccines alone were wonderful. He had been doing his own research since he had woken up, but there were just so many and they came so quickly that he had yet to catch up. 

  “Some women have to use them to help them conceive. I shouldn’t need them though, and thankfully I’ve been off the pill long enough. I didn’t see the need since I broke up with Ian. Shit, the most I’ve gotten in the past two years is some heavy petting. Probably the longest dry spell I’ve gone through since High-School.” She wasn’t complaining, alright not that much. She wasn’t a huge fan of one-night stands, it just wasn’t her thing. She had had a few through her college years, but it mostly stopped after she started interning for Jane. There were too many chances that the guy would turn out to be Hydra or some shit. So, it had pretty much just been her and her little helper lately.

  “You realize that having a baby isn’t going to help with that?” He knew that having children didn’t mean the end to having a sex life, but he figured one’s priorities changed. 

  “Yeah, I know, but I really want a baby more than I want sex… and that sounded so weird.” Darcy laughed. She had never thought she would say something like that, ever. Oh, she figured that maybe one day she would have kids, but it had been such an abstract idea. 

  “Kind of, yeah.” Steve just shook his head, he was used to Darcy’s lack of filter. It was one of the things he enjoyed about her actually. “Look, I’m pretty on board for this, but we still need to talk about things.”

  “I know, um, actually I brought up some sites that I had bookmarked that I thought you’d like to read. They explain the procedure in detail, what we can expect and so forth.” Reaching over, Darcy grabbed her laptop off the coffee table, setting it on her lap when Steve waved her off. 

  “Thank you, but what I meant was how we plan to raise this kid. I understand that having a kid out of wedlock isn’t as big a deal as it was in my day, but…” He shrugged, he wasn’t sure how to put his concerns into words.

  “But what? It isn’t like they will grow up in a broken home. Our kid would know he or she is loved by both parents, there would be no competing or anything. And it’s not even like we live in different cities; hell we don’t even live in different buildings.” Darcy knew that their child would have one of the best upbringings of any kid on the planet. Between her and Steve and the rest of their friends their child would be surrounded by love and good role models. 

  “But Darce, what happens if down the line we stop being friends, what then?” He never wanted to think about such a time, but he knew it could happen. He had had friends when he was a kid, ones he thought he would have forever, ones that eventually moved on as time went on. It was just the way that the world worked. Friends came and go, sometimes for no other reason than out growing each other.

  “I doubt that would happen, but even if the smallest chance it does?” Darcy sat up straight, her eyes directed on Steve’s. She smiled and reached over to take one of his hands. “You know, back when I was in High-School a bunch of friends and I went out for Chinese this one time. We had this whole pile of those little fortune cookies you get, each of us grabbed one and read out our fortunes. All my friends got something along the lines of how money or love was coming their way. Me? Mine said, and I quote, ‘Finite games can be won, but life is an infinite game.’”

  “Nice story, but what does this have to do with us having a kid?” Steve blinked at Darcy. She had a habit of going off on a tangent, and being the only one understanding the connection. 

  “The thing is that while that cookie was one pathetic fortune for a seventeen-year-old, I’ve come to understand it.” She had pouted when she had read off that fortune, it wasn’t something a girl that young wanted to hear. Over time though, she came to appreciate it. She now carried the little bit of paper folded up in her checkbook.  

  “You’ve come to understand what, that no one can win at life?” That seemed a rather morbid fortune, as well as outlook on life.

  “Pretty much. There is never any guarantee that things will work out, even if we were married one day something could happen and we would end up divorced and hating each other.” And Darcy knew that parents being married didn’t always guarantee a happy childhood. It was all how the couple handled things. “Maybe you will understand me better this way. If you knew how things would’ve turned out back at that faire, would you have still gone through with everything, or would you have stopped it before it could start just so you wouldn’t have to go through all the heartache?”

  “I still would’ve done it.” He had thought on that many times since he had woken, but each and every time he realized that he wouldn’t change anything. Some of the things he went through were hard, he dealt with a lot of heartache, but in the end he knew that he would’ve still went through it.

  “Of course, because in the end it was worth it. This is the same thing, maybe not save the world same sort of thing, but it’s something that even if things go pear-shaped it will all be worth it.” Darcy squeezed his hand before letting go.       

  “That actually makes sense.” Steve shook his head and smiled from ear to ear. He knew that some of the other interns and assistants in the lab didn’t think much of Darcy because she didn’t study a ‘real’ science, but if they took even half a minute to talk to her they would realize just how intelligent she was. Darcy could hold her own, and he loved watching her do it. 

 “Of course it does, I said it.” Darcy flicked the back of her hand across one of his arms. It was nice being able to slip right back to normal with him. There had been a point where she thought she had ruined everything, but by then she had already gone too far, been too committed to the idea. “I know there is a lot we need to talk about, but some things you can’t truly prepare for. I figured we would talk about the most important things now: living arrangements, how we will handle the subject of religion, health care, so on and so forth. After that? Well, after that we will just have to wing it. When something needs to be decided we would discuss it and work together.”

 “What about if something happens to me?” He hated to bring it up, but sometimes he felt as though she forgot about. 

  “Nothing will.” Same old argument, she figured they would probably have the stupid thing over and over again until both of them died of old age.

  “Darcy, I don’t want to think about it either, but it’s a real possibility. One day I might not come back from a mission, what happens then?” He was careful, mostly now that he had something at home to live for, but things happened. 

  “Then we live, we continue to live. It will hurt, but you don’t really think that Tony and the others would kick me out just because you are gone?” She understood where he was coming from, every time he went out she feared it would be his last. But she couldn’t live her life on pause because something might happen, and neither could he. “Do you have any more questions, or are we done?”

  “What if one day you find someone you want to marry?” The words left a sour taste in his mouth. He knew it was a possibility, that she would find someone and move on with her life. It didn’t mean he had to like it. He was happy with the way things were, him, Darcy and Bucky all together. It was bothersome to think that someone from the outside would one day wedge their way in and change everything. 

  “Let me turn that one around on you, what if one day one of those women finally sees all of you and you want to marry, what then?” It would happen, she knew it would. One day there would be a woman that saw not just the hero, but the man, and she would turn his whole world on its head. He might not believe it, but she did, because it would be a cruel world that would allow a man like Steve to continue without love.

  “If she can’t accept that I have a child then she doesn’t really see or understand me.” The problem, Steve knew, was more with society’s views. Women didn’t have a problem with single fathers like men did with single mothers.  

  “It’s the same for me, if a guy can’t deal with me already having a kid then I don’t need or want him in my life. So, we good?” Darcy held out her hand as though to shake on it. Maybe it was a bit silly, but she figured after all the angst and drama they needed a bit of silly.

  “We’re good. So, those sites you wanted me to look at?” Steve took her hand with a shake and a smile.

* * *

 

  Natasha was good at her job, that was a given. There were things that the others all knew: never try to sneak up on her unless they were willing to lose a limb, never engage in a sparring match with her, never insult her, the list went on and on. The only thing that the team never seemed to learn, and that was to watch everything you do or say around her when they had a secret. 

  There was more to being a spy than gadgets, infiltrating and extracting top secret information, or taking out targets. It was also being able to translate body language and reading between the lines. And that was something that Nat was good at, and used to her advantage when it came to dealing with her team.

  “So, when are you going to tell me what is going on between Steve and Darcy?” Nat bit down on a bit of pickled ginger, her eyes on the selection of food in front of her and not the man in the opposite chair. 

  “What makes you think there’s anything going on? Pass the soy would you?” Sam deliberately avoided looking at Nat, he had found keeping anything from the woman was impossible. The only reason he had been able to keep everything with Steve a secret was because Nat had not been actively seeking it out.   

  “What makes you think I’m that blind?” Pointing her chopsticks at Sam, she just shook her head. She might like to keep that air of mystery about her, but it was still a bit disappointing that her team members couldn’t figure it out.   

  “Nat, you know I can’t tell you anything, confidentiality and all that shit.” Keeping his eyes averted, Sam poured himself a bit of the soy. 

  “Are we really going to play this? You know I will get the information anyway, why not save both of us the trouble and just tell me?” Nat rolled her eyes, he always tried to pull the confidentiality card. She delighted in reminding him that only worked with patients. 

  “Why would it be trouble for me?” Finally taking his eyes off the food, Sam groaned at the look his girlfriend was sending him. It was her ‘I’ve already won, so you best just give in,’ face. 

  “If it will be trouble for me you can bet it will be twice as bad for you, now spill.” Reaching over, she stole Sam’s last California Roll with a smirk.  

  “You are a bad influence sometimes.” Sam couldn’t help but laugh. He knew he was getting in too deep when they had first started, but he wouldn’t change a thing. Life was never dull with Nat, even in their quiet moments a thrill could be found.

  “Only sometimes?” With a lick of her lips and a smirk, she winked at him. She liked that she could be herself around him. 

  In the past she had found her lovers more attracted to the Widow, always wanting that mysterious Femme Fatale; the red dresses, the leather cat suits, the whips and whatever the hell else that they thought she should be. She had had those who allowed her to be free, to be something other than the alluring assassin, but they had never lasted. But with Sam, Sam allowed her to be who she was, silliness and all. They flirted, but it never felt the same as when she was working. It was never fake, he didn’t want that, and for that she was grateful.   

  “Most of the time.” He wasn’t even lying. Since they had gotten together he had found himself nosing his way in to his friend’s lives more than he use to. He had even found himself matchmaking; something he had sworn he would never do.

  “Sam, you know I only want to know because I care about both of them.” Setting down her chopsticks, Nat crossed her arms in front of her and leaned over the table. What she said was true, she cared a great deal for both of them, but also she just wanted to know. She hadn’t been able to get anything out of Darcy, and she had learned awhile ago not to even try with Steve… the slippery little bastard.

  “Manipulative… fine, there might be something going on.” Shit, Steve was going to kill him, then Darcy would bring him back just so she could tase him and kill him all over again. 

  “I guessed that with the weird little dance they’ve been doing lately. So, UST or have they already fucked and they are in the stupid awkward stage that idiots get into?” It would be just like those two to finally get their shit together and throw it all away because of stupidity. If that was the case she wouldn’t hesitate to lock them in a room together… naked. In fact she might just do it anyway.

  “They’re planning on having a baby.” Sam sat back, his whole body ready for flight. He probably shouldn’t have been so blunt, but there were only so many ways to gently say that your friends, unmarried and not dating friends, were starting a family.

  “WHAT?! Run that by me again?” She had to have been hearing things, because surely…

  “It’s a long story, but the gist of it is both of them have caught baby-fever and are at this very moment deciding whether or not to have one together.” He had told Bucky that a baby might be good for the two, but that didn’t mean that Sam didn’t think they were crazy. 

  “Right now?” Nat wondered how fast they could finish their meal. She wouldn’t interrupt them, not really, but she knew that Darcy had a weird obsession with cucumber rolls and was sure the woman would be grateful for some… and if she happened to hear something, well that was just dumb luck.

  Sam placed a hand on Nat’s when it looked like she was going to just stuff her dinner in her mouth. He loved the woman, but she was nosey. 

  “Darcy has been on board with the idea from day one, been pestering Steve about it every chance she gets. Steve had his reservations, not surprising with everything he’s gone through, but he’s decided that he actually wants a kid. He went to go talk to Darce just before I picked you up.” Sam sat back when he realized that Nat wasn’t going to run off. 

  “Those two are the biggest idiots I have ever met!” Of all the things that she had expected to hear, that was the last. How in the world did you go from secret/not so secret crushes to having a baby?

  “Don’t tell me you’re planning on trying to stop them?” There would be enough problems once Bucky found out, they didn’t need to add in another person.

  “No, it’s not my place. If this turns out to be a mistake, it’s theirs to make. I was talking about the fact that they’ve been dancing around each other for almost two years now. This is all getting a little tiring now.” It was cute at first, watching as they gave each other little looks when the other was turned away. But at a certain point it just becomes ridiculous.  

  “Can’t argue with you there. Still though, I thought you were rooting for Darce with Steve and Bucky?” Sam knew she had been one of the loudest about the three in the pool. Tony joked around, but Nat seemed pretty sure in her bet.

  “Yeah, and those three haven’t been doing some dancing? Come on, Sam, you’re not an idiot.” Nat had watched the way the three moved around each other. It might not end up that way, but she knew the potential was there. 

  “They might’ve been doing some dancing, but it will never make it off the dance floor. Buck has too many problems that he has yet to deal with. Those need to be taken care of before he enters into any kind of relationship.” Sam knew that Bucky was whole enough, but it was Bucky that needed to believe that. The problem was, no amount of words from him or their friends would be able to convince him until he was ready.

  “Shit’s going to hit the fan when he finds out about this.” Even if the three never ended up together, she knew that Steve and Darcy having a kid wouldn’t settle well with Bucky. 

  “Shit started flinging some time ago. Buck figured it out before I did, he’s not happy that is for sure. He’s already tried to talk them out of it. As of right now though he thinks he has with Steve. I think more than just shit will be hitting the fan when he finds out it didn’t work.” Sam really didn’t want to be there when it happened. Actually, he didn’t even want to be in the damn state when it happened. 

  “This whole thing is going to turn into a shitfest.” Nat laughed lowly, she really wondered sometimes why she always ended up with the idiot friends.

  “It could, but in the end Buck will be fine. He loves both of them and only wants the best.” One never could really know, but Sam would be surprised if this whole ordeal meant the end of that friendship. “Now, this is our first real date, can we maybe stop talking about team problems and just enjoy ourselves?”

  “And just how enjoyable are you planning this night to get?” Nat crossed her arms over her chest and raised a brow. They had been together for awhile, but time and circumstances didn’t lend itself well to normal relationships. 

  “Extremely enjoyable.” 

* * *

 

  Darcy blinked as she worked to wake herself up. She hadn’t planned on falling asleep, but she had been so worked up before Steve showed up that she must have crashed once there was a moment’s silence.

  She groaned as she felt a sharp pain in her neck. Her couch was great for cuddling up on during move night, but it was the worst place to sleep. She stretched her legs, hoping to work out any and all kinks, only to have her feet knock into a very toned leg.

  “You still awake?” Darcy had to rub her eyes to get the sleep out before Steve’s image stopped being blurry. Why was it that naps left you worse off than before?

  “Don’t require as much sleep, remember?” Steve set his hand on Darcy’s ankle, curling his fingers around the delicate bones there. He smiled down at her sleepy appearance, she looked so much like a child herself in that moment. It made him stop for a second, he might look young, but he was technically older than her. He shook the thought from his head, he normally tried not thinking about it much as it was kind of disconcerting.   

  “Right, so you are totally going on night feeding duty then.” Darcy dropped her hand from her face, allowing it to dangle off the edge of her couch. It was a little strange actually talking about such things, but it was also exhilarating. 

  “Don’t you plan on breast-feeding?” Not that he would dare to dictate to her on what to do, he just wanted to be as informed as he could be.

  “Yeah, of course, but I can pump and store some in the freezer for when I can’t be there in person. It’s totally fine… and you will have to come up with something else to get out of nighttime duty.” She gave a pointed look at the man beside her. She knew there would be times when he would be unable to help; when he was injured, on a mission, or just got back from one. But she would be damned if he got out of everything; not that she thought Steve the type to pull that. 

  “Never said I was trying to get out of anything. I’ll even change diapers, promise.” Steve held up one hand while he placed the other over his heart and gave her a wink. 

  “Swear on your shield?” Darcy placed a hand on her stomach and over the little flutter there. She really was tired if a single wink from him made her feel all light headed.

  “On my shield and my uniform.” Steve laughed quietly, his hand going back to wrap around her ankle. Since he had met her he had found himself swearing on the oddest things, and for the oddest reasons. Not that it bothered him, it was part of her charm. She was quirky and silly, and he hoped that nothing ever changed that about her. 

  “I’m holding you to that, I hope you know?” She twisted the foot he had a hold of, popping the bones there. She giggled at the look he sent her, but hey, it was his fault for holding her ankle. 

  “Wouldn’t expect anything else.” He gave her ankle a little squeeze before patting it and placing his hand back on his lap. 

  “Good, now what time is it?” There was a clock on the wall across from her, but she really didn’t want to expend the energy to turn her head and look. She had been wound so tight worrying that Steve would never agree, that now that he had she had just crashed.  

  “Uh, five.” He had to keep himself from using military time around Darcy, she always pinched him when he did. He had never seen anyone get so pissed off about something so silly.

  “Like in the morning? Shit, it’s too early to be up.” Darcy groaned and burrowed her way into the cushions of her couch. She debated about going to her room; on one hand there was her bed, on the other there was actually standing up. 

  “Best get used to it now.” He couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face, he had always found sleepy Darcy cute. Which was a thought he really needed to push far, far back in his mind and not allow it to resurface… ever.

  “I know, but you could let me have what’s left of my late mornings.” She kicked out, but before her foot could connect to his leg, he captured them in his hand. Damn the man and his huge hands and quick reflexes. 

  “Hey, you woke up all on your own.” He shook her feet, only stopping when she peaked her head out of the couch and gave him her murder face.

  “Gah, I know. I need a better couch, one like three times this size and looks like it was built out of hundreds of pillows.” Maybe she would talk to Tony, she was sure he could put his mind to it and create the ultimate couch. On the other hand maybe not, he would probably put rocket launchers on it or something.

  “Or, you know, you could just use your bed.” Steve often wondered if she actually ever slept in her bed with how many times he had caught her on the couch.

  “Nah, pillow couch is the way to go.” Darcy turned around until she was fully facing Steve. She bit her lip a moment before giving him a nervous smile. “Hey, so um, we are doing this right?”

  “Yeah, we are very much doing this.” He reached out and took one of her hands, his fingers weaving with hers. 

  “Good. So, tomorrow… or ok later today I’ll make an appointment at the clinic and see where we need to go from here.” She had an idea, but you could only understand so much from online articles. 

  “Do you need me to go along?” Steve ran his thumb along the side of Darcy’s hand.  

  “I wouldn’t think so. We won’t be starting anything today, it will be more of a consultation. Did… did you want to come along?” She knew he would want to be involved, but it really hadn’t occurred to her that he would want to be there when he didn’t really have a part to play. It should have, but sometimes she was the victim of major brain-farts.

  “If you wouldn’t mind, I might have a few questions.” He wanted to be involved as much as he could, the child would be his as much as hers and he refused to allow her to go through it without him. They were in it together from the beginning to the end. 

  “That’s fine… uh, I’ll tell you once I make the appointment.” Darcy squeezed her eyes shut, a yawn taking over her. Seriously, it was way too early.

  “Darcy…” Steve pulled on the hand he was holding until he had Darcy tucked against his side.

  “Yeah?” She looked up at Steve, her eyes already falling shut.

  “Go to bed before you fall on the floor.” He pushed her up until she was standing in front of him, her body swaying side to side. He was a bit worried that he might have to pick her up or she would actually fall.

  “You’d pick me up.” Darcy gave a sleepy smile.

  “Every time. Now, go get some sleep.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that took a long time. Sorry, life has been hectic lately, and then between my muse pushing oneshots at me and the crossover challenge on Tumblr I haven’t gotten to work on this very much. But believe me, I haven’t forgotten or given up on this story, I’m still working on developing future chapters. 
> 
> Now, the next update might be awhile. School starts in less than a month and besides a oneshot or two, I’m going to try and work mostly on development; of this story as well as my 40’s Darcy Centric, a Tasertricks, and a western Wintershock romance.
> 
> Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


	8. Degree Eight: Everyone Should Really Fear Darcy

Darcy waited outside the doors to Tony's lab, hands clasped tightly in front of her. She knew that they wouldn't be able to keep it a secret for long, she very much doubted she would be one of those rare women that barely showed, but as of that moment they didn't want to share. Well share any more than they already had. Still, she didn't like lying to the Big Boss Man.

Tony had taken her in and given her a job and a place to live when he didn't have to. She could have simply remained just Jane's intern and had an apartment across town or something, instead Tony took one look at her and offered her a place in not just his building, but his life. Now she would be using the trust and friendship between them in order to get something she wanted.

She doubted he would actually mind, well not the giving her money bit though she was sure he would have a thing or two to say about her choice, but she wanted to forgo the lecture she knew was bound to happen. One, because she hated being talked down to, but mostly because there was nothing anyone could say that would change her mind. She had already made her appointment for that afternoon; quick openings being one of the perks of knowing Tony Stark; and if things went well she should hopefully be well and truly pregnant in the next two months.

"Lewis, get your tight, little ass in here and stop loitering outside my door!" Tony's voice carried through the lab, echoing easily in the vast room. Unlike the other labs in the tower, Tony worked in an open-plan space. The design allowed for more room to be utilized towards Tony's inventions; IE: his suits. But it also amplified any sound made in the room, allowing it to carry easily into the hall when the door was open. As it was at the moment.

"Hasn't Pepper informed you about using that language?" Darcy slipped into the room, closing the door behind her as she went. It wasn't as though she planned to tell him anything, but she didn't need anyone overhearing the coming conversation. Rumors and speculation ran rampant through the tower over the smallest things as it was.

"Hey, I'll stop once you stop slapping my ass every morning." Tony glanced behind him, the hand with his wrench pointing at Darcy. He gave her a disapproving glare, though by the smirk on her face he was sure that he was nowhere near convincing.

"But it's such a nice ass; firm and yet it has just enough jiggle when I smack it!" Darcy smacked her hand through the air, making a "mmmcah" sound with her lips to accompany the action. Sure, it all was highly inappropriate and the stuff lawsuits were made out of, but Darcy never would've started it if she hadn't known Tony would be fine with it. Theirs was a friendship built out of impropriety and sass.

"It doesn't jiggle! That is rippling muscle!" To prove his point, he stood and flexed his glutes; squeezing and releasing a couple times.

"It jiggles like jell-o and you know it." Darcy made a little shimmy with her hips, laughing at the affronted expression on Tony's face. The fact was Tony didn't have a bit of jiggle even though she liked to tease him about it. His behind was as rock hard as everyone else's in the tower. It made her a bit jealous actually.

"Pshhh, now are you going to tell me what you were doing pacing outside my door like a naughty girl sent to the principal's office?" Tony waggled his brows obscenely as he leaned back against his work table.

"Must you always make everything sound sexual?" Darcy let out a long sigh. It was the sigh normally heard from those in Tony's presence, and occasionally Darcy's.

"It's a gift of mine, now stop stalling." Tony watched as the young woman played with the ends of her shirt. It wasn't unusual for her to visit him in the lab, she was there just about everyday. What was strange was the pacing outside the door, because the fact was Darcy never knocked and never cared about waiting for permission. It was one of the things he liked about her.

"I need some money." So, no beating around the bush. Not that Tony would've appreciated that, he wasn't the round-about sort of guy.

"Alright, pay raise or just money in general?" Not really what he was expecting, but it was something he could live with.

"There's some personal stuff I want to get, but I'm not sure I'll have enough with just my normal paycheck." Well, she wasn't really lying. It was personal, and even though she got a nice paycheck she was far from rich. Comfortable would probably be the best word in her opinion.

"Ok, here." Pulling his wallet from his back pocket, Tony slipped a little black card from inside and handed it over.

"Ok? Just like that, Ok?" Darcy blinked down at the shiny card in her hand. She had expected him to protest, or at the very least try to pry out of her what she wanted it for. She had prepared a whole speech. She didn't know what do now that he had just handed over the money, no questions asked.

"Yeah, just like that." Tony rolled his eyes before turning back to his work.

"You don't even want to know what I'm doing with it?" She knew she shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, but she was still a little blindsided by what just happened.

"Nope." Why did everyone want to bring feelings into it? And that was what he was sure this whole thing entailed. 'Personal' normally equated to feelings, and he really didn't want to go there.

"What if I was planning on using it to start funding my world takeover?" Darcy laughed, flicking the card between her fingers. It was a running joke around the tower that Darcy would one day show her true colors and would make her bid for world domination. She was pretty sure it was Tony who started it.

"As imminent as that is, I doubt you would actually ask for anything when you could just steal." Tony spoke over his shoulder, his eyes never leaving the project in front of him.

"Nah, asking would be better, I would do everything legit and under the guise of SI. No one would see it coming." Darcy stuffed the card into her pocket alongside the little piece of paper she had used to jot down her appointment information.

"You're right, give me back my card." Tony reached around behind him, his fingers waving at her expectantly.

"No! Mine now!" Darcy took a couple of steps back, her hand slapping down against her side.

"Sometimes I really do wonder why I put up with you." He shook his head, his hand moving back around in front of him.

"Same reason why I put up with you." Darcy kicked out one foot, the tip of her toes just reaching Tony so she could poke him. He responded by swinging his hand around and swatting at her.

"Yeah, well… that card has no limit, but I do ask that you not drain my accounts. I rather like my money." He gave a cheeky grin over his shoulder and laughed when Darcy stuck her tongue out at him. The girl was closing in on thirty, but she was so much like a child at times. Pepper said that was why they got along so well.

"Thank you, Tony." Not even thinking about it, Darcy jolted forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a tight hug.

"Yeah, yeah, now get outta here, I've got work to do." Tony patted her arms before removing them from his person. That was enough feelings for one day.

* * *

Steve looked down at his phone for what had to be the hundredth time since he received the message. He had half an hour until he needed to meet Darcy down in the lobby, and he was spending most of it pacing around the shared kitchen.

He knew the appointment that afternoon was just a consultation; just a meeting in order to ask and be asked questions and get the run down on what would happen. Still, he couldn't help but be nervous, once they stepped inside the clinic doors he knew there would be no turning back. He was frightened and excited all at the same time.

"What is it with everyone randomly pacing today?" Tony stood in the doorway that led to the common room, one shoulder propped against the frame while he unsuccessfully tried to wipe away the grease on his hands with a dirty rag.

The interruption from Darcy earlier had brought the time to his attention, as well as the angry rumbling in his stomach. Normally he was able to ignore all that, go hours without food while he worked, but Darcy had distracted him enough that he became fully aware of his body. He hated that.

"Excuse me?" Steve stopped moving, one hand clasped in the back of his hair. Realizing how he looked, he slapped his arm down to his side and straightened up.

"First Darcy and now you, it's a little disconcerting." Giving up on the rag, Tony tossed it to the side where it landed in the base of a potted plant. Pepper would give him hell about it later, but he figured it was his tower, his plant, he could toss as many grease rags in it as he wanted. Not that he wouldn't make sure it was gone before Pepper could ever see it. That woman could be scary.

"Considering that makes two out of eleven I'm not really sure you can call it everyone." Steve had a momentary thought as to why Darcy had been pacing, but shook it off quickly. It could've been any number of things, but he was pretty sure it had to do with the appointment.

"My tower, if I say it's everyone then it shall be everyone." Alright, so he had a tendency to hyperbole at times. His friends should've been used to it by now.

Ignoring the rolled eyes that had been directed his way, Tony made for the bar on the other side of the room. His stomach protested for more than just scotch, but he figured he would appease it with cocktail olives until he finished his drink.

"Whatever you say Tony, now if you'll excuse me." Steve shook his head and headed for the door. He really didn't need to deal with Tony's nosiness at the moment. Steve could lie with the best of them, but Tony just dug and dug until you gave in out of pure annoyance.

"Sheesh, who pissed in your cornflakes this morning? Did the date last night not put out?" Tony sneered down at the line of grease he had just smeared along the bottle, this was probably the reason Pepper kept getting after him about cleaning up before leaving the lab.

"My what?" Steve whirled around, his brow furrowed as he looked at the other man. He probably should've just ignored him and left, but right now Steve couldn't help but be suspicious. Darcy and him weren't doing anything wrong, but neither of them felt like dealing with the others yet.

"Yeah, his what? Stevie, you didn't tell me you had a girl." Bucky stepped around Steve as he made his way into the room. He looked at his friend with narrowed eyes. He wanted to reach out and smack him upside the head. How could Steve even think about having children with Darcy if he was going turn around and start dating other women?

"Because I don't, now both of you drop it." Steve had to clench his fists just to keep himself calm. This was what he hated about living in the tower with everyone. Sure, having the team close and having friends to keep you company and help you when needed was nice. But the problem was that everyone thought they were entitled to information about your private life.

"Oh, no, no, no, you are not keeping this one to yourself." Tony rounded the side of the bar, one hand stretched out so he could point it at Steve. This was the first interesting thing to happen in a while, and he wasn't about to allow it to be kept secret.

"There is nothing to keep to myself as there is nothing going on." How they thought they would be able to keep their plans secret, Steve didn't know. Steve was a good liar, thankfully, but Tony had other ways of finding out information than just asking.

"Right, so you just decided to ask Bruce to run tests on your semen on a whim?" Though, knowing Steve, Tony figured that could be true. Steve looked like the type that wanted everything in his personal life in order.

"Seemed like the thing to do." Steve shrugged his shoulders as though he didn't have a care in the world. The problem with dealing with Tony was that one never knew just how to handle the situation. Sometimes it was best to play it coy, keep all your cards close to your chest. Others it was best to pretend that nothing was wrong in the world. Choosing the right tactic was an art, one that Steve was realizing he needed more practice in.

"Yeah, not buying it." Tony chomped down on another olive, pushing the briny morsel from one side of his mouth to the other.

"You had tests run?" Bucky could feel the gears in his arm clink and whir as his temperature rose. Once he got Steve alone he was going to beat the shit out of the bastard.

"I… well…" Shit. Steve looked his friend in the eyes, cringing minutely at the look the man was giving him.

"If you will excuse us Tony, Steve and I have some urgent business to attend to." Biting down on his tongue, Bucky grabbed his friend's arm and started dragging him out the door.

"Now just wait a minute, this is my tower and so I should be included in on anything that goes on in it." Alright, so that was an argument that Tony never won, but it wouldn't stop him from trying. Mostly when it seemed as though the good Ol' Captain might just be getting his cherry popped.

"Shut up, Tony, and go blow something up." Bucky extended his metal arm behind him to flip Tony off as he pushed Steve out into the hall.

Steve allowed himself to be pushed around, something that only Bucky and Darcy could do. Most of the time he found it funny when his friends did it, though normally the situation was a lot less serious than it currently was. Right now it was mostly out of self-preservation. The conversation that was about to happen was not one for others' ears, so Steve didn't protest when Bucky pushed him into one of the empty rooms on that floor.

"Please tell me this isn't about what I think it's about." Why, oh why did Bucky have to have Captain Stupid and Reckless for a friend? It was just like when they were children and Steve would get some cock-and-bull idea into his head and Bucky would have to go and save the idiot from being beaten to death. Only this time the inane idea involved the making of a baby.

"What this is about is none of your business." Sometimes Steve wondered if Bucky actually saw him; if his friend didn't continue to see that ninety pound weakling he had been before the war. He knew Bucky was only looking out for him, but he was beginning to figure it was time for his friend to start focusing on his own life and less on his.

"Fuck! You promised, Steve. You said you would never put her through any of that." Bucky had the urge to run his hand through his hair, but stopped himself. Darcy had started him wearing his hair in what she termed a 'man-bun' and he had found out the hard way that he could easily tangle his hair into knots.

"I changed my mind." Steve kept himself from rolling his eyes, he was beginning to sound like a child.

"She changed it." It wasn't a question, Bucky had no doubt that Darcy had been the one behind all of this. He loved that woman, but she was just as reckless as Steve was.

"Not like you're thinking. Hell, Buck, I think I've actually been on board with this since the beginning I've just been too damn scared to do anything about it." And if that wasn't the truth. Since he had gotten out of the ice he had found himself too scared to even believe what was real. For so long he worried that everything happening around him was a dream and that he was actually still in that crashed plane, slowly bleeding to death.

"And you're not scared now?" Bucky's voice had risen to almost a squeak, his eyes blinking rapidly.

"I'm terrified, that is not what changed, it was how I've come to look at those fears that has." In contrast to his friend, Steve was calm and collected.

"You are both idiots!" Bucky threw his hands up in the air and spun around until his back was to Steve. Was there something in the water, the air?

"Maybe, but I'm finally taking what I want and what will make me happy. This will complicate things, sure, but it's worth it." Steve took a few steps forward until he could place his hand on Bucky's shoulder. "Please, Buck, I need you to be happy for me."

"Couldn't you just get a puppy?" Bucky hung his head, he knew if he turned around Steve would've pulled out the puppy eyes. That man never played fair.

"Not the same and you know it." Giving a slight squeeze, Steve withdrew his hand and stepped back.

"I still think you two are making a mistake." Bucky turned slowly, and yep, Steve had sad puppy eyes. He could kick the person that taught him that.

"And I still think you're a jerk, but I deal with it and so should you." A slight smile slipped over Steve's face when Bucky just sighed and gave him a quick hug. The two of them had been through a lot together, and Steve had no doubt that they would get through this as well.

"So, when's this happening?" Bucky knew he was crazy for hoping to hear a couple of years come out of his friend's mouth, but it didn't stop him.

"Don't know yet, we've got an appointment to discuss things this afternoon. One that I'm going to be late for if I don't leave now." Something that he didn't want to happen. Darcy might've said that he didn't need to be there, but he wanted to be involved every step of the way. They might not be going about things in the normal way, but he was determined that in this he would do right.

"Look, Steve, it's not that I'm not happy for you, I just…" Bucky shrugged a single shoulder as he cut himself off. He wasn't too sure what he wanted to say; that he was worried, that he thought his friends to be idiots, that this kind of life was not meant for them. Whatever it was, he figured that maybe, at that moment, it was best left unsaid.

"I know, Buck, don't worry about it."

* * *

Steve always hated that cold, empty feeling hospitals and clinics gave off. No matter where you were, the little room they shuffled you off to always had the same feeling. The room in the upscale fertility clinic they were currently in was no different, nor did it improve his mood.

"Hey, calm down will ya? We're just going to talk today, nothing is going to happen yet." Darcy reached over and laid her hand on one of Steve's thighs. She gave a slight squeeze and had to hold back the lewd comment that wanted to slip from her mouth. Now was not the time…. But damn did that boy have thighs of steel.

"I know, that is not what is wrong. I…" Steve gave a small smile to the woman next to him, his hand moving to cover the one she had placed on his leg. He wondered when it was in their friendship that such a gesture became normal. At some point they simply threw out all caution and boundaries.

"What? Come on, Steve, you've been jumpy since we left." Actually he had been like a nervous little puppy worried about getting caught having piddled on the floor. Not that she would say that to his face, he didn't much find being compared to a puppy funny.

"Bucky confronted me before we left. He… he interrupted Tony being Tony and he put two and two together." And that was something he would still have to deal with later. He wasn't sure how much he had gotten through to Bucky, but he was sure his friend hadn't finished with him yet.

"He still doesn't approve?" Darcy swallowed back the unease she felt. It didn't matter what Bucky thought, or anyone really, it was Steve and hers decision. Still, she loved Bucky and she wanted his support with this.

"He thinks we are idiots." Steve rolled his eyes. Maybe they were, then again he wasn't sure there was a person on Earth that wasn't.

"Do you think we are?" Darcy pushed that unease back even further. He had agreed to this, but Darcy had also pushed him towards it, and she kind of feared he was only there because of her.

"No, of course not. It's just that Buck and I have been through so much together…" Steve leaned back, his fingers tangling with Darcy's. Sometimes it was strange to think about just what they had gone through together. At times it felt as though he had lived three separate lives.

"And you want him to be happy for you." Darcy turned in her chair enough that her knees pressed into Steve's thighs. She rested her head against the wall, eyes downcast at their clasped hands.

"Why can't he?" Had it been the other way around, Steve hoped that he would be happy and supportive of Bucky.

"He will, eventually. Just give it time. When he realizes that what we are doing is not a mistake he will come 'round. Until then… until then we think only on the two of us, soon to be the three of us." Darcy pulled their joined hands towards her and placed them against the flat of her stomach. Just the thought of their child growing there sent flutters throughout her body.

Steve smiled warmly down at the woman beside him, the hand laced with hers holding on just a bit tighter. There was so much he wanted to say, about becoming a father, about this new adventure they were embarking upon together. Though before he could gather his thoughts enough to actually speak the door opened.

Darcy and Steve turned to be met with the smiling face of a short woman in a white coat. She was probably no more than an inch shorter than Darcy, but where Darcy was a mass of curves this woman looked like a pixie. She was slight, but her frame did not suggest girl, but woman. She immediately put the two of them at ease.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Lewis and Mr. Rogers?" The woman stepped fully into the room, closing the door before taking a seat. She placed a couple of clipboards on her lap and looked the two in front of her over. She would have to have been living in a cave for most of her life not to know just who it was that she was facing. Not that she could, or would for that matter, let celebrity get in the way of doing her job.

Darcy held a hand over her mouth as she tried to keep from laughing. At least she refrained from singing 'It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood' this time.

"Darcy, must you giggle every time?" Steve sighed as Darcy continued to laugh from behind her hand. The things that amused her.

"Long answer: yes, short answer: yes." Darcy gave a cheeky little smirk thinking about the Christmas gift she had given him last year… a cardigan she had spent a lot of time on. Even though it had been a gag gift, he had still worn the thing for her the entire day. Of course he hadn't been as pleased with the photoshopped picture she had presented him on New years. Bucky on the other hand made sure the picture was placed front and center in the common room so no one would miss it. Darcy's musing was interrupted a moment later when the doctor quietly cleared her throat. "Oh, um sorry, yes that is us."

"As I was saying, good afternoon, I'm Dr. Mary Abbey." She held out her hand to each of them before sitting back in her chair straight. "Now, we are not going to do anything today besides talk. So, feel free to ask me anything. I want you both to feel comfortable with me, I'm here to help you through this whole thing. Before I get started, was there anything you wanted to know?"

"You do realize that this meeting and everything that happens from here on out is to stay in the strictest confidence." Even though Darcy had heard good things about the clinic… well Jarvis had heard good things about the clinic, and she was pretty sure it hadn't been through legal means… she still wanted to lay out all their cards so to speak. It really wouldn't be good for it to get out that the world's boy scout, Captain America, was at a fertility clinic with some mystery girl.

"I assure you, Ms. Lewis, I fully understand. All documents have been signed by all those that will be working on your case. Your identities and privacy will remain secure, this is not the first time we have worked with celebrities." Of course most of their clients were movie stars and a politician or two. No one that would send the tabloids into a frenzy like the man in front of her. Still, she was confident in their NDAs.

"Then we are good, unless you have anything you want to ask?" Darcy glanced at Steve, turning back when he gave a slight shake of his head. "Then we're all set."

"Alright, well this is all pretty straightforward. I've reviewed both of your files and I'm not seeing any problem that could hinder conception." Dr. Abbey flipped through the pages on her clipboard, giving them a quick onceover.

"My file? You mean Bruce's tests results, how did you get those?" Steve sat forward in his chair a bit, but forced himself to relax when Darcy squeezed the hand she was still holding.

"J-man and I are buds. Oh, and by the way he is totally on our side. I think it's mainly because he's looking forward to having another baby to take care of. Who would have known that AIs could be broody?" Darcy shrugged a shoulder. Everything that just came out of her mouth should have been weird, but when one lived with superheroes and had fought dark elves little was weird anymore.

"So, as I was saying, you both are perfectly healthy. You especially, Mr. Rogers, though I'm sure you already know that. I don't really think we will need to use any fertility drugs. Though I do want to point out that while you both are in perfect health, conception may not happen on the first try, or even the second, so I don't want either of you becoming worried if it doesn't take the first time." Dr. Abbey gave a soft smile at the two sets of head nods she received. Throughout her career she had dealt with many frantic couples coming to her crying because the first couple of rounds didn't take. Sometimes it was simply the matter of not having everything lined up just right, nothing to be worried about. But there were times when it had been an unforeseen problem. Not that she believed anything of the sort would happen with the couple before her.

"Got it." Darcy squirmed in her seat a bit, the fluttering in her stomach increasing. She wanted to blurt out that they were ready, but she knew she would have to wait. She might have been ready, but at the moment her body wasn't.

"Have you two discussed what procedure you wish to pursue?" After getting a quiet shake of the head from both, Dr. Abbey pulled a pamphlet from her clipboard and handed it over. "Well, we could try either an ICI or IUI. With the ICI we place the sperm at the cervix where with the IUI we place it within the uterus."

"Which one would you recommend?" Steve flipped through the pages of the pamphlet, his eyes skimming over the images of the woman's reproductive system.

"Either would be fine in your case, but the IUI does have a higher success rate." Dr. Abbey pulled out her own copy of the pamphlet and turned it to the section on IUI. She leaned over in her chair until her elbows rested on her thighs and used her pen to point out the information she had highlighted earlier.

"The IUI, I would think." Darcy looked at Steve and gave him a sort of unsure look. She had read up on the procedure, but they hadn't really talked about which one they wanted. Darcy had kind of thought their doctor would figure that all out. "I mean anything to increase the chances."

Dr. Abbey nodded and sat back in her chair. So far everything had been going smoothly, something that wasn't always the case. So many that came to her were skeptical about the procedure, having tried and failed at so many other options. She wasn't sure if it was confidence or what that was helping things along, but what was sure of was the intelligence and maturity of the couple. Then again, what did one expect when it came to Captain America?

"We will need to monitor you for ovulation. Are you pretty regular?"

"I was lucky, unlike some women in my family, I normally start around the same time each month… give or take two days." Darcy had always been grateful that she had taken after her grandmother in that respect. She had a cousin that was irregular and used to curse about how the damn thing made going on vacation hard.

"That will make things easier, but I'm going to give you a kit to help you monitor. Have you already gone through your cycle this month?" She made a mark down on her clipboard before looking back up.

"I'm due next week." Darcy could already feel it coming on; her boobs felt like someone had been using them as punching bags.

"Good, so we have a little bit of time to prepare. Now, we will have to do this as soon as you are ovulating. We will be able to do it here in the clinic, so do both of you think you will be able to drop everything when you are needed?" Making a final tic on her clipboard, she clicked her pen closed and sat fully back.

"Shoot, half the time the scientists don't even notice if I'm in the lab or not." Darcy shrugged a shoulder. It was funny just how absentminded the scientists were. She was sure she could go to work dressed up as a clown and no one would notice…. Actually, she thought, that might be fun to do.

"As long as there isn't, you know…" Steve kind of waved his hand about in a vague gesture. Having your main job be saving the planet from rampaging villains kind of meant that the hours were unpredictable.

"Right, that is understandable. So, when you are ovulating I want you to call us and come in, both of you. We will prepare everything while Mr. Rogers supplies the sperm, which will then be washed. Do either of you need that explained or…?" Dr. Abbey trailed off, this was the part were things normally got a bit awkward. Some of the younger guys weren't so comfortable talking about their little soldiers in front of a couple of women.

"No, we actually did a little research." For which Steve was glad, he liked to be as informed as possible. This situation was no different.

"Good, as you may have read the sperm wash isn't intrusive and takes place after the donation has been made. All it is, is to ensure only the best, viable sperm is used and to remove anything that may be harmful to the mother.

"Now, after the sperm is prepared we will proceed with the procedure. Ms. Lewis, you will be asked to remain most likely around an hour, and then to remain as inactive as possible the rest of the day. Stress can have a huge effect on conception, so I normally recommend that the mothers take off of work that day if at all possible." A request that she had found normally didn't go over real well. It was amazing how many people didn't understand how much stress impacted pregnancy.

"Shouldn't be hard, as I said they don't even realize I'm there half the time. Once I took off a whole week to visit my family and when I got back all I got was Jane asking me why I hadn't finished the paperwork she asked me to do the day before." Darcy waved off the look Steve threw her. It didn't bother her because she knew it had nothing to do with her, and everything to do with SCIENCE! It was like putting a tub of ice-cream and a puppy in front of her, no way she was going to pay attention to everyone's boring ass when she had heaven like that to indulge in. Ice-cream and puppy kisses were better than people any day.

"Our involvement doesn't stop once conception happens, though you might wish to have your own OBG-YN outside of our clinic, we like to monitor all our patients from conception to birth."

"I don't plan on having any other doctor, I've heard a great deal about your clinic as well as you yourself, which is why I requested you." Most likely by more not really legal means via Jarvis, but no one really needed to know any of that.

"We strive for the best here, it is important that all our patients are comfortable. Are there any other questions?" Dr. Abbey folded her hands in her lap, a small smile gracing her lips. The two seemed really sweet, they hadn't let go of each other's hands the whole visit except to look over the pamphlet. She really hoped everything worked out of them.

"How much will this cost?" He knew it wouldn't be cheap, not that the cost mattered much to him, but it was best not to be surprised.

"Not as much as you would think. Most people when researching tend to mix up an IUI with In-Vetro, which is more costly. The IUI will cost you five-hundred per attempt, which as I said it may take more than once. Normally we are looking at five to ten tries before conception, but it may take less for you two if we factor in, uh the procedure done on Mr. Rogers back in the forties.

"The sperm wash will be one-hundred each time, and the ultrasound which we will use to monitor will be three-hundred each. With general costs and the ovulation kit, I would say around fifteen-hundred to two-thousand per round. That is just for the procedure, once conception occurs you will have visit costs that will include ultrasound and lab.

"Also, you might look at your insurance policy, some businesses will cover part of the costs under fertility coverage." She pulled out another pamphlet and handed it over after turning to the page on costs and different insurance options.

"Oh, that's ok, my employer is covering all the cost." Darcy slipped a small black card from her pocket and flashed it quickly before placing it back. She waved off the pamphlet, but said nothing as Steve took it and threw her an odd look.

"Oh… well, I guess everything is in order then." She had to say that that had thrown her, not to say it was all that surprising seeing how well Mr. Stark took care of his employees. Still though…

"Yep! One of the perks of working for a philanthropist, or you know, having Tony Stark wrapped around your finger." Darcy twirled her finger in the air and gave a wink.

"So, is there anything else we need do?" Steve looked away from Darcy and towards the doctor. This was the first time he had heard anything about Tony paying for this, and he wondered why Darcy hadn't said anything to him before now.

"I have a bit of paperwork I need you both to fill out." Dr. Abbey handed them the second clipboard before standing. "While you do that I'm going to go and get that ovulation kit." With that she slipped from the room.

Steve sat there and watched for a few seconds as Darcy started filling out the forms, Eventually he couldn't keep quiet anymore.

"Darcy, where did you get that card?" He pointed to the pocket that she had slipped it back into moments before.

"From Tony, where else?" She threw him a 'duh' look and went back to the forms in her lap.

"Ok, how did you get that from Tony?" He kept himself from pinching the bridge of his nose. Darcy had this way of being annoying that made you want to take her by the shoulders and shake her and laugh all at the same time.

"I asked him for some money." She shrugged a shoulder as she quickly jotted down both of their SS numbers. She had done so much paperwork for the scientists and Avengers that she probably knew their information better than they did.

"You just asked him?" Steve really would have to talk to Tony about his trust in Darcy, sometimes he wondered if the man did things just because he enjoyed the chaos she created.

"I know, right?! I figured he would nag me with questions, but turns out as long as I'm not planning on going all evil-warlord on everyone he'll give me whatever I want. Go-fig." Which was really a bad thing for Tony, now that she knew she could just ask there was a good chance she would use it for evil purposes. Well, maybe not evil, but not necessarily good purposes.

"So, he doesn't know about this?" He gestured a hand around the room before pointing it at Darcy's stomach. He was pretty certain that had he known Tony wouldn't have been able to keep his mouth shut, but Tony could be unpredictable at times.

"Do I look crazy? As far as he knows I needed something personal and didn't think I could afford it with my regular pay." Yeah, telling him would've been a bad idea. It would have gone one of two ways she figured. Either he would've made lots of lewd jokes and yelled it for all the tower to hear, or he would've tried to beat the shit out of Steve. She didn't feel like dealing with either.

"Darcy, you shouldn't have lied to him…" Not that she should've told him the truth either…

"What, I should've told him I needed the money so we could have your sperm put in my uterus? That would have went well." She rolled her eyes and handed him the forms for him to fill in what she hadn't.

"No, what I mean is that I should be the one paying for this, not Tony." He took the clipboard, only giving it a quick glance before looking back up.

"Gah, please tell me you are not going to go all caveman on me?" He didn't do it often, but there were times both Steve and Bucky went all he-man, caveman on her. It was annoying, and she usually responded by throwing a pillow at their face. Sadly there was nothing in the room she could use, plus it would probably not make a good impression if her doctor came back in to find her smacking the future father of her kid.

"As it will be my child not his, don't you think I should be the one paying?" It kind of rubbed him the wrong way to think that Tony was paying for this.

"I didn't know how much this would cost, and well… I'm not really sure how your financial situation is. I mean, you seem pretty well off, but you can't really count your place at the tower and I've never been able to figure it out through your apartment." The times she had been to his apartment it always struck her how bare it all was. She had tried to get him to fix the place up, but he always shot down her ideas about adding in a bit of color.

"You should have just asked." Maybe he pressed the pen to paper just a little too hard, but thankfully Darcy didn't say anything. They were going to have a child together, he would hope that she would be comfortable enough around him to ask him anything.

"Oh Steve, it isn't anything against you. It's just you don't go asking how much a person is worth, even if they are your best friend. Unless they are a Stark that is." Darcy also didn't want to mention that she hadn't even given a fleeting thought to asking him. All of this had been her idea, she figured it was up to her to figure out payment.

"Actually you should never ask a Stark, not unless you want to spend hours listening to them tell not just how much, but how they acquired it… in great detail. Anyway, I have enough for this. I'm not as well off as Tony, but I'm more than comfortable." He could afford to pay for most of what Tony bought for him, but he allowed Tony to pay for it all because he learned early on that that was just the Stark way of showing friendship.

"Oh, well there was a second reason." Darcy blinked, she had never really thought about Steve in regards to money before.

"And that is?" Steve flipped the page, quickly filling out his parts.

"We want this kept quiet, right? Well, Tony has a lot of pull. Just his name is enough to strike fear in the hearts of the weak." She balled a fist and shook it in the air… maybe she could be a little over-dramatic… just a bit.

"Darce…" Steve's voice was just this side of scolding, even if he did find her antics funny.

"What I mean is that by not only throwing his name about, but paying using this…" She flashed the card about again. "…our privacy is ensured. Because if Tony Stark is paying you can be sure he is invested, so when we say it is to stay secret it is to stay secret. To do otherwise could mean ruin. It is easy to forget sometimes since we are friends, but Tony has the kind of pull that could easily shut this place down." Darcy smirked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

The first time Darcy had seen business Tony had been around six months after her and Jane came to live in the tower. Some online company had been making copycat Avengers figurines and selling them slightly cheaper. When Tony had heard about it he just about hit the roof. The proceeds to the official merchandise went to various children's charities, and the rip offs were taking away money from the kids. She had watched on as the owner of the company waltzed into the tower only to leave an hour later with his tail between his legs after the tearing down Tony had given him. Darcy had to admit she had been a little turned on… not that she had EVER told him that.

"That is… that is actually very diabolical. I think I might need to start taking those comments about you taking over the world seriously." Steve couldn't deny that the way Darcy's mind worked was one of the things he found very attractive.

"You really should, but don't worry, when I'm Queen of the World I shall spare you and you will live as my concubine; you and Bucky." She reached over and pinched his cheek, giving the abused skin a soft pat before retreating.

"Is that so? What about everyone else?" Completely ignoring the forms, Steve sat back and mirrored her posture. This was something he had to hear.

"Jane will be my lady-in-waiting and royal scientist. Nat will be the head of my armies; you know she will always side with me. Clint will join Nat; those two can never be separated. Bruce will be my personal guard, Sam I'm thinking he might join you and Bucky. Thor's only job is to stand around my palace with no shirt on, all oiled up and looking pretty. Tony will be my jester, and I'm undecided about Pepper. On one hand she would be a very valuable asset, on the other if anyone would rise up and overthrow me it would be her." She tapped a finger against her chin and lower lip pretending to contemplate the fate of her friend.

"You have thought about this way too often." Him and Bucky really needed to get her out of those labs more often, before she lost her mind.

"Hey, those labs can get really boring." It wasn't as exciting as it had been right after Thor showed up for the first time. Now she spent most of her time twirling in her desk chair while Jane muttered in her little corner of SCIENCE! Which was something Darcy found strange; Jane had been given a whole lab, but the woman still stuck herself in the corner most of the time. She always made sure to check on the woman, make sure she wasn't hunched over one of her machines muttering 'precious.'

"Couldn't you have played on your computer or talked on the phone like a normal person?" Steve bit down on the smile that threatened to cover his face when Darcy gave him an unimpressed looked.

"In the life we lead, planning a takeover of the world is normal." She was pretty sure that Coulson had contingency plans in the event that one of them actually went through with it.

"I really wish I could say you were lying." It wasn't like he hadn't heard similar discussions from Tony and Clint.

"Keeps you on your toes." Darcy nudged his foot with hers when she saw the smile creeping up on his face.

"Is that what it does?" Steve laughed when Darcy stuck her tongue out at him.

"Shut up and fill those out, the sooner we get out of here the sooner you can buy me a coffee and danish." Sitting back in the chair, Darcy pulled her phone out. She had seen this cute little Captain America binky leash when she had been shopping for Pepper, and she wanted to make sure to order one before they ran out.

"Who said I was buying you anything?" He nudged her in the side, his eyes sweeping over her phone screen. His heart stuttered a bit when he caught sight of her wallpaper; a picture of the two of them taken a few months ago when they had ditched some political function. Bucky taken the picture when neither of them had been paying attention, they had been too busy trying to smash fries into the other's face.

"Hey, I'm going to be the mother of your child, best start taking care of me now." Pulling up the website on her phone, Darcy squealed when she saw that they not only had the leash, but also matching binky. Her kid was going to look so cool.

"Of course, what was I thinking?" He rolled his eyes and turned back to the clipboard in his lap.

"Apparently not about getting me coffee and a danish, shame on you. Now, write!"

 

* * *

 

 

Darcy would admit that until Steve showed up in the lobby she had been worried. She knew he still had fears, even if he told her he was ready. When he had walked off the elevator she had been so happy she had to hold herself back from running up to him and throwing her arms around his shoulders.

That happiness stayed with her during the entire appointment, and nothing could dampen it. Not even Bucky sitting on her couch with his frowny face on when she returned home. She really should have expected him actually.

"So, talking to Steve didn't work so you've come to try, and what, persuade me to not have this kid?" She dumped her purse on the table by the door, the sound of the taser she legally wasn't supposed to have making a loud clunk when the bag hit the wood.

"I was hoping to reason with you, but I'm getting the feeling that I would be wasting my breath." He knew it had been a longshot, once Darcy got something into her head she rarely ever changed her mind.

"Oh, gained a few new brain-cells while we were gone?" The snark in her voice could have been heard for miles. She really wasn't up for any of this, but it was best to get it over with before they started their first round.

"Darcy…" Bucky turned to look over the couch and towards where the woman in question was throwing away an empty cup of coffee.

"I know that you are worried, but you can't go around and try to protect Steve from everything. If this is a mistake, which I don't think it will be, it is his to make." After rinsing the danish glaze from her fingers, Darcy moved around until she could flop down on the couch next to Bucky.

"It is not just Steve I'm worried about." His voice was almost a whisper, fear seeming to almost silence him.

"Oh, Bucky, I'm not yours to protect either." Darcy felt as though he had reached out and clamped that metal hand of his around her heart and squeezed.

"Of course you are." How could she think otherwise? Both of them were his to protect… they were all he had.

"Buck… I… oh please don't tell me you are in love with me, because seriously I'm really not up to being the angsty twit in a love-triangle." Visions of cheesy teen romance novels passed through her mind. She really didn't want to start listening to sappy music and go around spouting 'inspirational' and 'intelligent' quotes in an attempt to express her total and complete angst. 'Perhaps they were right in putting love in books… perhaps it could not live anywhere else,' please…

"What?! No! I… what the hell gave you that idea?" Bucky looked at her with wide eyes. Surely he had never given her any indication that he wanted anything more than friendship from her… had he?

"Well, Steve said something about if you had been more yourself and all that." So, she was beginning to think she should've kept her mouth shut on that subject. It was becoming obvious that wasn't what this was about.

"Remind me to wring his neck." Bucky mumbled as he sank into the couch. "Fuck. Fine, yeah, sure if I was whole you would be just the kind of dame I would go after. Hell, I would probably end up dizzy for ya. But I'm not whole, and I realized that not long after we first met."

"Sooo, I'm really not sure how to take that." On one hand it was flattering as fuck, but on the other… yeah that was a whole can of worms she didn't want to open.

"I love you, I do, but I'm not in love with ya. I might have fancied you at the beginning, but that quickly changed. I don't really know how to say what I want to say, you are my sister but yet you are more, just like with Steve." Bucky reached out, clasped onto her hand, and pulled her until she fit tightly against his side. It was a position that was normal for them, and one that made him well safe.

"More than a brother, but less that a lover." Darcy snuggled into his side, one arm going around his waist.

"What?" Bucky looked down at the head of thick brown hair tucked under his arm.

"That is how I see you. You are stuck somewhere between the two, it is the easiest way I've found to describe it." Darcy looked up with a soft smile on her face. This man who had been through so much had become someone very important to her.

"I like it, it is probably the most accurate I've heard to describe what I feel about either of you." He reached up from her shoulders so he could muss up her hair. "So, you understand why I worry about you?"

"Understand it: yes. Still think you are an idiot and should allow Steve and I to make our own decisions: so very much so." She swatted his hand away and tried to smooth her hair back down. She wasn't sure why he had such a fascination with messing it up.

"I'm not going to stop worrying about you." The day he stopped would be the day he died… then again with the trouble that she seemed to invite his worry would probably follow him into any afterlife there may be.

"You don't have to, just don't allow that worry to get in the way of our friendship. I worry myself sick every time you and Steve go out on a mission, but you've never seen me try and stop either of you." Of course there have been times when she wanted to, it killed her whenever they came back beaten and battered up.

"That is not the same thing." He wanted to shake her, shake some sense into her. He just wasn't sure it would do any good.

"No, it's not. One could lead to the deaths of two of the most important people in my life, and the other will lead to a baby." She kicked out, the tips of her toes hitting the edge of her coffee table.

"That baby could easily lead to your death." Fear twisted in his belly at the thought of Darcy in pain, struggling to give birth only to die. He had heard about it all too often when he was younger.

"Oh shit, is this what this whole damn thing has been about?" Darcy sat up straighter, reached out to take a hold of his jaw, and forced him to look at her.

"Women die in childbirth all the time." He made the smallest effort to pull from her hold, but it was easier just to give in even if he did have the strength to move.

"Yeah, they do, but this isn't the nineteen-forties and we've come a long way. There's no history of birthing problems in my family, and even if there is a complication I will be at a hospital. One that will be fully equipped to deal with those kinds of situations." She knew that there was still a chance, medical advancement had made it safer and easier, but it hadn't made it foolproof. Still, she wasn't going to allow the fear of could-be to stop her from being happy.

"I still don't think this is a good idea." He knew he was loosing, though when he thought he was actually winning he didn't know.

"And I still don't care." She patted his cheek and gave him a cheeky little smile. "You do realize you're going to be the Godfather, right?"

"Darcy…" A lump formed in his throat at her words. It really shouldn't have hit him that hard, that he would be Godfather was a given. Still it did.

"No, you're going to accept this whether you like it or not. Don't make me break out my secret weapon." Darcy moved until she was on her knees next to him, her hands in fists on her hips.

"Darce…" Bucky's eyes widened as he tried to scoot further back on the couch, but she had cornered him.

"Fine, I warned you." It only took a couple of seconds before several tears started slipping down her cheeks. If there was one thing she knew that brought Bucky to his knees, it was a crying woman… namely a crying Darcy.

"Aww, Darce, don't…" Bucky didn't know what to do, his hand flailed as he tried to figure out if it was better to hold her or not touch her at all. He hated it when she played dirty. "Please… don't cry… fuck! Fine, just stop will ya?"

"Will you stop giving us grief now?" Darcy sniffled a bit, she might not have Steve's puppy eyes, but she had this.

"I don't know… aww fuck…" Bucky hung his head as a couple of tears forced themselves past his lids. He hated it, every damn time she cried he cried. It wasn't fair.

"Bucky, we need your support, we need to know you're going to be there for the both of us. The three of us actually. Please, this is important to us." She reached out so she could wipe the tears from his eyes. She hadn't actually meant to full on cry, or make him cry, but everything sort of built up she guessed.

"Sometimes I really hate you." Bucky pressed the heel of his flesh hand into one eye. This was not how this conversation was supposed to go.

"No you don't, now hold me." Sinking back down, Darcy allowed Bucky to gather her up tightly against him. She tried to hold back the tears, but a few snuck past anyway.

"If you tell anyone that I shed even one tear I will kill you." Bucky pressed a kiss against the top of her head, his words lost in the midst of her hair.

"No one would believe me anyway." She laughed a bit and squeezed his middle.

"Still…" Well, Steve would, but then again his friend wasn't any better around Darcy.

"Bucky, shut up and just cuddle with me." She pinched his side, smiling when she felt him jolt.

"Yes, Ma'am."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is way over due. Sorry, semester has been crazy. Anyway, I haven't forgotten or abandoned this story, I promise!
> 
> Now, I've never been in the situation that Darcy and Steve have, so I kind of just based the clinic visit off every doctor visit I've ever had. Though the information is what I had been able to find out… also I hope you all enjoy this, I had to try and hurry and hide my pages on conception and sperm when my Children's Lit teacher came up to talk to me. Lesson: wait to do fic research until home. Anyway, the pricing might be a tad more now, but when I was first doing the research for this story that is what I found for clinics in New York.
> 
> The quote Darcy thinks up is from William Faulkner (Light in August)
> 
> I'm not sure when I'm going to get the next chapter up, but I will be doing chapter development for future chapters. Also, I really hate my summery for this story, if anyone could come up with something that sounds better I would be grateful.
> 
> Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: So, this is what I've been plotting all summer long. I got tired of waiting to finish the full chapter by chapter outline, so I decided to go ahead and start posting. I'm not sure how long this will be, though I do know it should be a pretty good length. Right now I have it plotted out to chapter twelve.
> 
> Now, I can't promise this will be updated regularly, as I am in school now, but I will update when I can.
> 
> Now, this story takes place around four years after TWS. It will be compliant up to the first season finale of Agents, though I might add a bit of stuff from this season if it works with this storyline.
> 
> ** Disclaimer: ** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**


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